Life Happens
by Reese M
Summary: A collection of one shots and shorts that explore the lives of Peggy Carter, Angie Martinelli, and their daughter Natasha, in the AU created by An Unexpected Christmas Gift.
1. Chapter 1

A's Note: Just a reminder that I have recreated the timeline to make this work the way I want it too. Hope you enjoy! ~Reese

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Friends Bearing Gifts 

Even though she was rarely out in the field anymore, Peggy still didn't work a typical job that would allow her the luxury of broadcasting her private life, even if that private life didn't include a socially scorned relationship. Very few people within SHIELD knew the details of her relationship with Angie. Howard knew of course, though she had never come right and told him. He'd figured it out on his own and then proceeded to gift them with an elaborate fondue set as a way of showing his support. Peggy had blushed, slapped him in the back of the head, and then hugged him. Then over a bottle of very expensive whiskey Howard confided that Peggy was not alone in her proclivity towards sexual attraction to both men and women. While the confession was not startling on it's own, it's implications were. Peggy now knew for certain that Howard had been in love with Steve as well. By the end of the night the bottle was empty and they were both drunk enough to piss Angie off, which for some reason had sent Peggy into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

While she was confident that future generations would be far more open minded, tolerant, and even accepting of such relationships, her own continued to hold onto old taboos. Having Howard, Mr. Jarvis and Ana, and later on her Howling Commandos, and eventually even her parents be accepting of her and Angie had meant the world to Peggy. They were still waiting on Angie's family to come around, her brothers had been accepting once they were sure Peggy wouldn't hurt their baby sister, and Angie's father was inching towards acceptance because honestly Angie was his favorite. Mrs. Martinelli and Angie's grandmothers were holding out, as was Peggy's brother Michael, all of them clinging to their old world beliefs. "Their loss." As Angie would say, even though Peggy knew it hurt Angie as much as it did her.

Her protege Nicholas Fury knew about her relationship with Angie because it was part of his job to help Peggy keep her safe. She also kept him in the loop because she needed him to understand the importance of having a life outside of SHIELD, a lesson he was finding hard to learn. When she'd called him into her office after she'd returned from her holiday break to inform him that she had adopted a child, the look of utter disappointment on his face caused her to worry that perhaps he was not the best choice to be groomed as a possible replacement when she eventually retired. And yes, she did plan on retiring someday. Angie had bet her a thousand dollars she'd still be running SHIELD at 80, Peggy had put her money on 65 at the latest.

Peggy wasn't sure to what extent Chester Phillips understood her relationship with Angie. She hadn't ever outright told him, but perhaps he suspected? Or perhaps, like so many others, he thought that she never married because she continued to mourn for Steve, and that she was content with the simple companionship offered by her best friend. Who herself was unmarried, and really how did people not know? When Peggy told Chester about Natasha during her last visit to his home in Virginia just after the new year, he had been thrilled, happy to see that she would not spend her life alone. Which just reinforced for her that he thought that after all this time, she was still pinning after Steve. She'd left a little insulted to be quite frank, because she was stronger than that and Phillips of all people should have known that.

Being Director meant that Peggy had to keep a certain level of distance between herself and everyone who worked for her. With the exception of Howard, Chester, and the commandos who'd come into this with her, Peggy tried to keep work people seperated from her personal life. There were however the occasional exceptions. Fury for one, she had taken quite a shine to him, despite the fact that she could barely tolerate his father. Then of course there were one or two people she would honestly consider friends. The intercom buzzed softly before Rose's voice announced, "Drs. Pym and van Dyne are here to see you, Director."

"Let them in, Rose, thank you." Peggy replied. A moment later her office door opened and she stood with a warm smile to greet them. Howard had brought Hank Pym into R&D, and from day one he'd been a pain in her ass about getting him a proper assistant. She gave him a brilliant young scientist who Peggy knew would do great things herself someday. Hank still hasn't thanked her for bringing Janet onboard. Peggy and Janet had hit it off rather quickly and soon became very good friends, and she eventually warmed up to Hank as well. "Janet, Hank, good morning. What can I do for you?"

"This isn't a professional visit, Peggy." Janet said happily as she moved across the room to Peggy, greeting her with a warm hug. "Howard told us the real reason you couldn't be at his annual New Year's Eve bash, he figured you wouldn't mind if he told me and Hank." Pulling back she beaming a smile at Peggy. "Congratulations, Peggy. We're so happy for you!"

"Mostly happy for you." Hank added in with a teasing smirk as he set a pink gift bag with white and pink ribbons hanging from the handles on the desk. "You caused me to lose a bet to Stark. I hate losing bets to Stark."

"You and Howard had a bet on whether or not I'd ever have children?" Peggy wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not.

"You see the world beyond the ordinary, Peggy." Hank said easily. "What you've built here, what you continue to make of it, that will be your legacy. I just never thought you'd let anything else get in the way of that."

"Hank," Peggy replied as she leaned back against the edge of her desk and crossed her arms. "I'm disappointed. I didn't take you as someone who, in this day and age, would continue to believe that a woman was incapable of having both a family and a successful career."

Hank held up his hands to show he meant no disrespect. "This has nothing to do with you being a woman, Peggy. All I meant is that people like us have bigger things to do, more monumental contributions to make to improving the world, other than adding to it's ever growing population."

Peggy would have happily continued the debate, she enjoyed engaging with Hank in such discourse, but Janet cut in putting an end to it. Peggy saw a flicker of discomfort cross Janet's face, a touch of fear and uncertainty that made her drop it, and smile happily as she accepted Janet's gift. She was about half way through the bag of baby things and books when Hank was paged.

Hank groaned softly. "If you ladies will excuse me. I need to take care of something in the lab." He looked up, that teasing smirk in place again. "You know Director, I wouldn't have this problem if you would give me a new assistant who was actually competent."

"I'm doing my best, Dr. Pym." Peggy replied. "But honestly, there's no way I can possibly find someone as good as your former assistant."

"Damn right." Janet chuckled.

After she finished opening the gift and hugging Janet in thanks Peggy invited her to sit with her on the sofa in her office and have tea. "So," Peggy said as she poured the tea when it was ready. "What Hank said about leaving behind legacies more important than children, you don't agree?"

"No, I don't." Janet replied easily and offered Peggy a telling smile. "I think we can do remarkable things here, things that will make the world a better place," She paused, held her breath and then said, "For our children."

"It would seem that I now owe you congratulations." Peggy said happily. They hugged each other again and when they pulled apart Peggy said, "Hank doesn't know."

"Not yet." Janet admitted. "I'm not really sure how to tell him."

Peggy nodded and sipped her tea. "He could have very well won that bet with Howard. I didn't think children would be apart of my life. Natasha came as a huge, unexpected surprise, but I couldn't imagine my life without her now."

Janet smiled. "I know you're not the decorate your office with personal photographs type, but you must have pictures in your pocketbook."

"Of course!" Peggy got up to retrieve the most recent pictures of Natasha she had in her wallet. Two were of Natasha in her blue dress, one with and one without her little red hat, and another was of Angie holding Natasha on the sofa with Tony sitting beside her. "These are my favorites."

"She's beautiful, Peggy!" Janet gushed.

"Thank you." Peggy said, placing her hand on Janet's knee. "And don't worry too much about Hank. It might throw him a bit at first, but he loves you, and he'll love your child too."

That night sitting on the sofa with Natasha in her arms Peggy's thoughts centered on the idea of legacy. She would always be incredibly proud of SHIELD, it was her life's work, and she would continue to build it into something remarkable. But raising Natasha to be a good person, a strong woman, teaching her and guiding her to be the very best her she can be, that's what's going to truly matter most. Saving the world was easy, Peggy thought as she looked down into her daughter's face, raising a girl in it would be the tough part.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve Rogers

It wasn't uncommon for Natasha to get cryptic calls from Fury. Actually, she wasn't even sure if Fury was capable of reaching out without being cryptic. But something about this time had her on edge, and she didn't like it. He'd called with orders to meet and then sent her an address, one she wasn't familiar with. It turned out to be some kind of medical facility. The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach got worse when she was greeted at the door by Coulson. He didn't say a word after telling her Fury was waiting for her, which didn't help, Coulson liked to chatter. As she walked beside him as they made their way through the hallway the knot in her stomach got worse. For a moment she wondered if this was about Clint. Had Barton gotten himself hurt on a mission? Or maybe Sharon? Sharon would explain the secret facility. No one but a handful of people knew they were related, or about their connection to her mother. Sharon went by Agent 13, while Natasha herself was known as Agent Romanoff, the name Fury had used for her when he'd recruited her behind her mother's back.

Fury and Hill were standing by a two way window when she and Coulson walked into the room. Natasha's gaze darted between the two but they were almost impossible to read, especially Fury. "So what's going on?"

"There's something you need to see." Fury said while stepping away from the window to make room for her. "It ain't an issue yet, but it could be."

Natasha did her best to steel herself against whatever or whoever was on the other side of that glass, but even the daughter of Peggy Carter didn't have enough steel to be ready for what she saw. Natasha blinked her blue-green eyes several times before she managed to form words. "That's not possible."

"It's very possible." Fury said firmly. "That's him."

"You're absolutely sure?" Natasha asked, her gaze locked on the man in the hospital bed. Her mother kept his picture in a scrapbook. Her uncle Howard had shown her the movies and newsreels. The Howling Commandos had told her stories about him.

"It's him, Nat." Fury nodded.

Fury and Hill started filling her in on what the plan was, but Natasha's thoughts were miles away. Steven Grant Rogers was a live. Captain American was alive. And he was here in a secret SHEILD medical facility, looking just as he did in decades old photographs. Natasha wasn't focused on Fury talking about how shocking it will be for him when he wakes up. She was focused on how this was going to affect the woman he'd left behind, the woman who'd found love again with an automat waitress with dreams of being on Broadway, the woman who adopted a newborn baby girl left under her Christmas tree and raised her as her own.

It was Agent Coulson's voice that finally cut through Natasha's thoughts. "Agent Romanoff, are you alright?"

But Natasha's reply was to Fury. She turned her gaze away from the man in the bed to the man standing beside her. "You have to tell her."

"Not yet." Fury replied with a shake of his head and a firm don't-argue-with-me tone.

"I won't keep this from her." Natasha's voice was just as firm as she turned to face him head on. Oh she was going to argue! "Either you tell her or I will." She pointed at Steve on the other side of the glass. "I am not going to keep Steve fucking Rogers a secret from my mother, Fury."

Coulson was not one of the handful of people who knew who Natasha truly was. "Captain America's survival is the highest classifications of classified there is, Agent Romanoff. You can't…"

The glare Natasha sent Coulson would have made the woman she and Fury were discussing proud. "My mother's clearances are higher than yours, mine, and Hills put together, Coulson. They're equal to Fury's, higher if she decided to keep a few for herself, retired or not."

"That's impossible." Coulson argued. "The only person who would have clearance as high as Director Fury's is…"

"Retired Director Margaret Carter." Natasha smirked. "Yeah, she's my mother."

Coulson shot a look at Fury who shrugged and nodded that it was true. "Did I forget to mention that Nat's real name is Natasha Carter? My bad."

When Hill didn't look surprised at the revelation Coulson looked hurt.

Natasha turned her glare on Fury as she said, "She and my Uncle Howard looked for him for years, Fury. She deserves to know. So are you coming with me or am I telling her alone?"

Not another word was said as Natasha and Fury drove out to Brooklyn to the faded red brick brownstone her mothers once again called home. The discovery of Steve Rogers being alive was causing her a lot of conflicting emotions that Natasha really didn't understand. While Natasha had no doubt that her mothers' relationship was stronger than vibranium, she still couldn't seem to reign in her thoughts. What if her Mum her had regrets or resentment over the life lost to her when Rogers went into the ice? If Rogers had shown up at the Stork Club that night, would her Mum have ended up marrying him and having her own children? Would she have ended up at the SSR to cross paths with Dottie Underwood? The thought of a life anything other then the one she'd had with her mothers twisted Natasha's stomach, and she suddenly wished Fury wasn't in the car. She wished she were going home alone so she could curl up on the sofa between her mothers as they chased away the anxiety knotting up her insides.

Stepping into the warmth of her early childhood home helped ease Natasha's mind. She could hear the ticking of the mantel clock in the living room and faint music coming from the kitchen. The air smelled of fading hints of her mothers' perfumes; of something sweet, vanilla-y, slightly cinnamon-y, something fried, and it made Natasha smile, her Ma was making cannoli shells, and of strong black tea freshly brewed. Natasha took a deep breath, filling her lungs to full capacity, and then let it out slowly. Then she called out, "Mum? Ma? Anyone home?"

Peggy was the first to emerge to greet their daughter, a pleased smile on her painted lips at the unexpected visit. Angie's voice could be heard from the kitchen but her words unclear. Peggy chuckled as she called over her shoulder. "She must have sense you were making cannoli, love." When Peggy turned her attention towards Natasha her smile widened, "Hello poppet." Then she saw Fury and her smile disappeared. "Nicholas." Her gaze shifted back and forth between Fury and her daughter, and then crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Fury. "What the hell is going on? What's happened?"

"Mum," Natasha said gently, stepping closer to her mother and putting her hand on Peggy's crossed arms. "We should sit down."

Looking into Natasha's eyes Peggy could see her daughter's concern. She could also tell that whatever was going on it had Natasha upset. Relaxing her arms she took Natasha's hand and squeezed it. "Alright love."

They went into the living room and settled. Peggy and Natasha on the sofa, Fury in a chair. When Angie came into the room and saw Fury she greeted him warmly and then turned to go back into the kitchen, she'd been married to Peggy a long time, she knew the drill, but Natasha stopped her. "No, Ma, you should hear this too."

"Agent Romanoff." Fury growled.

"Don't call her that in this house." Peggy shot back. "There's no point."

Fury huffed. "Yes Ma'am."

"Ma, sit please." Natasha said.

Fury muttered and moaned until Peggy ordered him to get to it. He knew damn well Angie could be trusted. "Stop being a ninny, Nicholas, just tell me."

"There was an expedition in the Arctic." Fury began.

As Fury told them about finding the Valkyrie in the ice that lead to the discovery of what they had thought was Steve Rogers body, only to find out he was still alive, Natasha watched her mother closely. To anyone who didn't know her it would seem as if Peggy was having little if any reaction to the news. She sat primly on the edge of the center sofa cushion, knees together, legs crossed at the ankles. A tea cup in a saucer rested on her thigh, held in place by her right hand, her left gripping her own right wrist. She neither smiled, nor frowned. Her voice when she spoke to ask a question or demand an explanation, was firm, clipped, not quite her Director's voice but close to it.

But to those who knew Peggy, her wife, her child, the man she had trained and trusted with her life's work, they saw the excessive blinking, the way she occasionally licked at the corner of her mouth when parting her lips to speak or take a sip of her tea, they heard the gently clatter of the cup against the saucer. Natasha had moved closer to her mother without noticing, but Peggy had, and had reached over and placed her empty hand on her daughter's knee. Natasha felt a slight tremble in her mother's hand that made her heart quiver.

"He's receiving the best medical attention we can give him." Fury reassured. "If he wakes up…"

"When." Peggy snapped at him, and then softened her tone. "When, he wakes up."

"When he wakes up." Fury corrected. "We'll take things slow, easy him into his new reality. Agent Coulson has already been assigned to the team looking after him, and I'll be adding Agent Ro.." Fury stammered under Peggy's glare. "Agent Carter, as well. Captain Rogers will be in good hands, Ma'am, I promise."

Natasha watched her Ma pat her Mum's thigh reassuringly before standing and walking out of the room towards the kitchen. Now that Fury's visit was nearly over she knew her mother would return with leftovers for him and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes and smile. Sure enough just as Peggy was walking Fury to the door, Natasha telling him she was staying a little longer, Angie came out of the kitchen. "Eggplant parm. I know it's one of your favorites."

"Thank you Mrs. Carter." Fury replied, accepting the bag she held out to him, and then left.

"Mum?" Natasha said gently as she watched her mother stand there.

Peggy swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes glassy as she turned her gaze towards her daughter, and she did her best to smile. "I'm alright my darling. I just need a moment. Excuse me my loves."

Natasha watched as her mother walked off towards her study and didn't hesitate in taking a step to follow. She was stopped by a sudden strong grip on her upper arm. Turning to look at Angie she said simply, "Ma?"

"Leave her alone, Nat." Angie said firmly.

"But Ma, she's not ok." Natasha argued.

Angie nodded her agreement. "No, she's not. But she asked us to give her a moment and that's what we're gonna do, because your Mum hardly if ever asks us for anything." Angie refused to let go of Natasha's arm, pulling her towards kitchen. "Now, come help me in the kitchen, and tell me all about the trouble you and Clint have gotten yourselves into. Well, the trouble you can tell me about and won't give me a damn heart attack, anyway. Your Mum's made a roast for dinner, you'll stay, and we'll be there for her when she's ready for us."

Natasha, the fearsome Black Widow with the worldwide reputation that makes grown men wet their pants, sighed softly as she easily crumbles to her mother's demands. "Yes Ma, and what makes you think Barton and I have gotten into any trouble?"

"Mother's intuition, angel." Angie chuckles.

Peggy joined them for dinner, the red puffiness of her eyes giving away the fact that she'd been crying. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear to the both of you." She said as she looked at her wife and daughter as the three of them sat around their kitchen table. "I would not go back and change a single thing about my life. It's wonderful that Steve is alive, a damn bloody miracle it is, and I hope he gets a chance to live a life as full and joyous as the one I have been blessed with." She smiled softly, a genuine smile. "Once upon a time, long ago, I may have been Captain America's sweetheart, and Steve will always hold a special place in my heart. But that heart belongs to the two of you, it always has and it always will. Now my darlings, that is enough of that prattle."

"You alright there, English?" Angie teased as she reached out to wrap her fingers around her wife's hand. "That was a lot of emotional talk for a Brit."

"I'll admit I'm feeling rather overwhelmed." Peggy said honestly. "Hearing that Steve is alive, after all this time, it's surreal. I suppose it will continue to feel that way until I see for myself that it's really him."

"I'll keep you as updated as I can, Mum." Natasha promised. "I'm not really sure what Fury's play is here. I saw him, Captain Rogers, laying there and my first thoughts were about you."

Peggy reached out her other hand for her daughter to take and she smiled warmly. "I know you will do what is right in this situation, Nattie, and I know I can trust you to do what is best for Steve."

No pressure or anything, Natasha thought as she nodded at her mother.

"Good." Peggy said, her voice returning to her normal tones. "Now darling, tell me why I shouldn't send you straight to your room for that stunt you and Agent Barton pulled in Kosovo?"

"Well," Natasha replied, a little wide eyes. "First off I'm a grown ass woman."

"Natasha Elizabeth, watch your mouth at the table." Angie scolded.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Secondly, Mum, you're retired. How do you even know about Kosovo?"

"I have my ways, young lady." Peggy replied.

Angie shook her head, a teasing smirk on her lips. "Think she's getting to big for her britches, Peg."

Natasha knew that any further discussion about Steve Rogers would not be happening tonight so she just rolled her eyes and smiled at her mothers' teasing.

Over the next few weeks Natasha did her best to keep her promise to her mother. She kept a close eye on Rogers recovery. Physically he was fine, they were just waiting for him to wake up. They'd put him in a room styled to look like something from the time he went into the ice so he wouldn't freak out when he woke up. It wasn't a bad idea per say, and it might have worked if someone hadn't switched out the pre-approved music for a baseball game. What was really stupid was whatever happened that led to Steve Rogers burtsing out the front doors in a frenzied panic, and taking off at a full run right past Natasha as she was getting off her bike. Taking off after him she triggered her earpiece and started giving out orders between swearing at the agents who were meant to be handling this.

Natasha groaned as she watched several black SUVs encircle Rogers, and as the agents they carried began to pour out. Rogers looked like a trapped animal. A trapped animal with superhuman abilities. "Stand down!" She ordered, as she pushed her way through. "Everyone stand down!" Breaking the perimeter she held up her hands and smiled at Rogers. "Easy Captain."

"What's going on?" Steve demanded, his eyes darting from one armed man to the next. "Where am I? What's happening?"

"You're in New York." Natasha said honestly. "It's just that it's all a bit different because it took you awhile to get back."

"How… How long?" Steve demanded to know.

"Awhile." Natasha said. "We'll explain everything, I promise. I just need you to come back with me."

He glared at her, clearly sizing her up. "Why should I trust you?"

Natasha smiled and simply said, "Stork Club, eight p.m sharp."

Steven instantly relaxed and began walking towards Natasha. "Who are you?"

"Agent Natalia Romanoff." It wasn't a total lie, that's who the men and women surrounding them knew her as, that's who she knew Fury would want him to think she was for now.

"How did you know that?" Steve asked once they were face to face.

"She told me." Natasha said honestly, their gazes locked.

"Stand down soldier." Fury's voice boomed as he approached. "Look man, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly."

Steve's gaze lingered on Natasha a moment longer before he stepped back from her to look at Fury. "Break what?"

"You've been asleep for along time, Cap." Fury told him. "We're creating a bit of scene out here. Let's go back and we'll talk about this."

It would take three months after his release from protective custody before Steve reached out to her, asking her to meet him at a coffee shop away from SHIELD, away from the apartment SHIELD had set up for him. As she approached she watched him, sitting quietly by himself sketching in a book. Her mother had mentioned he'd been an artist, even had some of his work in her momento box on the top shelf of the closest in her study. She watched him for a few moments longer, watched the waitress flirt with him and rolled her eyes both at the waitress and Roger's cluelessness, and then she walked over to him. "Captain Rogers." To his credit he didn't flinch at her sudden appearance, but his eyes twitched letting her know she'd surprised him. Natasha loved doing that to people. Well most people, her mothers tended to smack her for doing it to them. "You wanted to see me?"

"You knew about the Stork Club." Steve said when she sat across from him. "I need to see her."

Natasha fished her personal phone from the pocket of her leather jacket and shot off a quick text. "Are you sure that's what you want?" She asked him, looking him in the eyes, watching and reading him closely. "She isn't going to be the same woman you left behind at that HYDRA factory with Phillips."

"I understand that, Agent Romanoff. But I just," Steve was flustered and frustrated. He sighed deeply and shook his head, unable to explain. "I just really need to see her, so please, if you can set something up I would really appreciate it."

Her phone buzzed, Natasha checked it and smiled. "You busy right now?"

"Now?" Steve's voice squeaked a bit. "Like, right now?"

"If you're free, she is." Natasha nodded.

Steve swallowed against a suddenly dry throat and then nodded. "Yeah, sure, now's fine by me."

Natasha stood and jerked her head in the direction of a sleek black Corvette parked on the street. When they were in the car and she turned it on the radio blared a catchy, upbeat song that clearly sounded as if it were from Steve's time. The chorus of female voices was singing something about, "Make way for tomorrow today." Natasha reached over to turn it off with an apology.

"I've heard that before." Steve says softly. "At one of Howard Stark's expos."

"Yeah, I share this playlist with someone and this song drives him nuts." She chuckled as she pulled out into traffic. "Which is why I added it."

The ride was a quiet one after that. Steve was nervous, he kept rubbing his hands on his jeans between tapping his fingers against his thighs. Natasha wondered what was going through his mind as he stared out the window. She also wondered what was going through her mother's mind. She was probably playing with whatever necklace she was wearing, and would have a whole pot of tea drunk by the time they got there.

"Brooklyn?" Steve said with surprise.

"She moved to New York after the war, made her home in Brooklyn after she was married, and moved back from D.C. after she retired." Natasha told him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him smile and the nervous hand movements stopped. When they finally pulled up to the faded brick brownstone she reached for his arm to stop him from getting out of the car. Turning to look him square in the eye, she said, "I don't know what kind of old fashioned sentimentally you're still carrying around with you, but do not say or do anything that will hurt her, because if you hurt her there's not enough serum in your blood to keep me from kicking your ass."

Steve blinked, clearly surprised. "I would never hurt her, Agent Romanoff." He reassured her, and then narrowed his eyes a bit. "You're very protective of her."

"Damn right I am." Natasha said, then got out of the car and heading up the steps to the front door.

Steve was surprised when she produced a key and let herself in. He followed tentatively.

"Nattie darling is that you?" Peggy called out.

Natasha could hear Steve's breath hitch behind her. Shrugging out of her jacket she hung it on the stand by the door. "Yeah, Mum, it's me. Who else is just going to walk into the house?"

That caused Steve to suck in the air that had rushed out of his lungs at the sound of Peggy's voice. "Mum? Did you just call her mum?"

"Natasha Elizabth Carter, did you not tell him who you are?" Peggy scolded, appearing in the doorway to the living room with her hands on her hips.

"Technically he doesn't have the clearance to know who I am." Natasha said as she walked over to hug her mother. "Plus, I really like seeing the looks of shock on people's faces when they find out. I thought Coulson was going to actually faint."

"Cheeky." Peggy replied. "You don't get that from me."

Natasha snorted.

"Peggy." Steve's voice was soft and full of awe. There she stood, older yes, but still so beautiful.

"Steve." Peggy replied as she looked him over.

"Still the prettiest dame I've ever laid eyes on." Steve said as they gravitate towards one another.

Peggy smiled, her full attention now on Steve. This time it was her breath hitching, her doe eyes widening. He looked just as he did the last time she saw him. "Steve." She moved towards him, their gazes locked on each other. When she was close enough she reached out just as she had when he'd first come out of Howard's machine, pressing her palm against his chest, feeling his heart beating, his warmth. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up into his. She smiled. "You're late. I said eight o'clock sharp."

"Sorry about that." Steve said softly, reaching up without thinking to cup her face with one hand, his over covering her hand on his chest. "My ride got stuck."

For a split second it looked as if Steve Rogers was going to kiss her mother, and Natasha's hand went to the weapon at the small of her back. Then she felt a warm hand on hers and she turned to see her Ma give her a gentle shake of her head and a disapproving look before jerking her head towards the kitchen, a silent command to leave Peggy and Steve alone. Natasha sighed softly and let her Ma lead her away.

Peggy put her hand on top of his and closed her eyes. "It really is you."

"You had doubts?" Steve asked.

"Wouldn't you?" Peggy said with a soft chuckle.

Natasha paced the kitchen until her mother's voice demanded, "Natasha, sit down, you're driving me nuts. You're mother's fine, angel. Why are you so worked up about this?"

"I just don't want him to say or do anything stupid that will hurt her." Natasha grumbled as she allowed her mother to force her into a kitchen chair.

"I can't imagine he would ever hurt her, Nattie." Angie poured coffee into a mug for her daughter and then rethought it. Reaching for a second mug she made Natasha tea instead.

"Not on purpose, but what if he says something stupid when he finds out about you." Natasha huffed. "He's old, from an older time, he might…"

"You didn't tell him she was married to a woman?" Angie laughed.

Natasha sighed. "I thought something like that might be something she'd want to tell him herself."

Peggy sat beside Steve on the sofa and watched his face as he worked out everything she'd just told him about her life, about Angie, and Natasha. She was actually rather nervous about his reaction. "Steve?"

"So, um," Steve said as he reached back to rub his neck. "You're queer now? And you're married to a woman? And that's legal?"

"If you want to get technical about it, I'm bisexual." Peggy answered. "And yes, Angie is my wife. We've been together for several decades now, and first said our vows shortly after adopting Nattie. As for it being legal, it is in some places but not everywhere, not just yet."

Steve still looked confused. "Were you, um, this way back then?"

"Yes, I was." Peggy answered honestly. "So, no, I did not suddenly become attracted to women because I lost you."

Steve's gaze darted from Peggy to the pictures she had around her home. Peggy and a ten year old Natasha sitting on a sofa, Natasha snuggled in close to her mother's side. Peggy and a dark haired blonde woman lounging side by side in beach chairs under a beach umbrella. The blonde must be Angie, Steve thought. Peggy, Angie, Natasha, a little girl with blonde hair, and a teenage boy with dark hair standing in front of a castle wearing mouse ear hats. Pushing off the sofa Steve walked over to the fireplace mantle and picked up a framed picture of Peggy with a baby in her arms, Angie beside her, and gathered around them were Howard, some of the Howling Commandos, and a couple Steve didn't know. They seemed to be standing in a church and given the way the baby was dressed, it must have been Natasha's christeing. In each and every picture Peggy looked happy, full of joy, and as if she were just where she was meant to be.

Setting the picture back where it belonged he turned to Peggy and said, "Not going to lie Peg, it's a little strange, but I could never think bad of you. I'm happy you've had a good life, Peg, one full of love and joy."

"It has been, and continues to be." Peggy replied as she stood. "Would you like to meet Angie? She's in the kitchen keep Natasha distracted."

"Why would she need to be distracted?" Steve wondered.

Peggy laughed. "For a moment it seemed as if you might kiss me." Steve blushed and Peggy smiled. "Nattie is very protective of her mother and me."

"So your saying your wife is keeping me from getting shot by your daughter?" Steve chuckled.

"Pretty much." Peggy nodded.

Steve smirked. "Wouldn't be the first time a Carter shot at me for kissing the wrong girl."

Peggy laughed as she disappeared into the kitchen. Angie and Natasha were sitting at the kitchen table with mugs in their hands and a plate of cookies between them. She couldn't help but smile as she recalled all the times she's come home from work to find the pair like this, Angie helping Natasha with her homework or Natasha helping her Ma with dinner. It sent a warm burst of happiness through Peggy that centered in her heart and spread all the way out to her fingers and toes. It helped to ground her in the moment, in the present, which was much needed seeing as how her past was currently standing in her living room looking at the photographs that told the story of the happy moments of her life without him.

"You alright, English?" Angie asked, looking from their daughter to Peggy as her love moved across the room towards them.

"It's a bit surreal." Peggy admitted as she stood behind Natasha, putting her hands on the redhead's shoulders and giving them a reassuring and affection squeeze. "It's going to take some getting used to on everyone's part, I suspect."

"He hasn't said anything stupid has he?" Natasha asked, her voice as tense as her body. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought him here like this, without telling him more."

Peggy slid her arm around Natasha's shoulder and across her chest in a way that pulled her back so she could press her head against Peggy's abdomen. "He was a bit blindsided by the news but he hasn't said or done anything to hurt me, Nattie. Steve is someone you never have to worry about hurting me."

Reaching up with both hands Natasha grabbed hold of her mother's forearm. "I'll kick his ass if he does, super soldier serum be damned."

"I love you too, poppet." Peggy said, dropping a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. Then she looked over at her wife and smiled, "So, my love, would you like to meet Steve Rogers?"

"You bet your sweet curvy ass I do." Angie replied.

Natasha crinkled her nose, and then rolled her eyes when her Ma leaned forward in her chair to kiss the tip of her nose. She felt her Mum give her one more squeeze and then let her go to hold out her hand to Angie, and then Natasha followed them out to the living room after making up a tea and coffee tray. Honestly she was surprised her mothers hadn't offered Steve anything as soon as he walked in, but she guessed they were both a little off their game at the moment.

It didn't take long at all for Steve to see that Angie was everything he could have wanted for Peggy,. She was kind, strong, feisty, fully up to the task of dealing with Peggy Carter. He liked her a lot, and the fact that she was a Brooklyn girl only sealed the deal. She must have liked him too because she invited him to stay for dinner, insisted in fact.

Natasha watched all evening as a weight seemed to be lifted from her mother's shoulders. Guilt over never being able to find Steve or guilt over having lived a life he'd never had the chance to, she wasn't sure, perhaps a bit of both. She also noticed that for the first time since waking up Steve seemed relaxed, and for a few brief hours he didn't look like a man drowning as he tried to catch his breath. And she had to admit, she was enjoying hearing new stories about her mother.

"Laid him out flat with one punch." Steve laughed. "No one ever called her anything but her name again. Well, except Dum Dum, he was determined to get a nickname to stick."

Peggy groaned while Angie laughed. "He's still trying. Every once in awhile he'll call her Mrs. Union Jack."

"Ginger bastard." Peggy muttered affectionately.

After dinner Angie ordered Natasha into the kitchen to help her pack up some leftovers for Steve. "Is Clint in town, angel?"

"Yeah Ma, just got back yesterday." Natasha answers.

"We'll pack up some for him too and you can drop it off to wherever he's staying." Angie said.

Natasha snorted. "You mean my couch?"

Steve and Peggy retreated back to the living room to talk. Steve finally feeling comfortable enough to talk about why he needed to see her so badly, and Peggy feeling centered enough to give him advice. Their conversation was just winding down when the room suddenly filled with music, something slow but a bit more jazzy than big band, and when they both looked over towards the stereo Angie just gave them a shrug, a brilliant smile, and said, "It's almost eight o'clock."

Peggy lit up and if Steve had had any remaining doubts about her and Angie, they disappeared under the light in Peggy's eyes. When she turned to look at him he blushed a bit. "I still don't know how…"

"I'll show you." Peggy said softly.

Natasha watched from the doorway as her mother and Steve slow danced in the living room. When she felt her Ma step up behind her she smiled. "You're amazing, you know that?"

"Like I've said before, angel, your mother doesn't ask for much for herself." Angie replied. "The least we can give her, given them both, is closure. Besides, who am I to deny Captain American a dance with his best girl?"

"His best girl's wife!" Natasha said with a giggle as she was pulled back into the kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

She normally let the typical teasing of other kids roll off her back, not paying much attention to playground cheers and jeers. Someone would call out a stupid remark about the color of her hair and Natasha would just roll her eyes and keep walking. What she couldn't roll with was teasing meant to hurt and bully. Userally Natasha would step in when one of her classmates was being pushed around, she would step up with a biting remark or a quick bend back of a bully's fingers. Natasha was actually well liked by her classmates, which is why no one could quite understand why the new girl in the other fourth grade class had targeted Natasha. At first the taunting and mean remarks just made Natasha roll her eyes and walk away, but the more she did that the more the other girl seemed to get pissed. But then parents night happened, Natasha happily and proudly showed her mothers all of her projects, and the new girl found a button to push that Natasha couldn't ignore.

Natasha stood with her friends excitedly talking about the family night fundraiser at the retro skating rink that weekend. She couldn't wait! Her Mum had been really busy lately, even missing more than a couple dinners every week for over a month, but she never missed a family night event and Natasha was looking forward to getting to spend time with her.

"Oh, Natasha can't go to family skate." Tina Minko said, cutting into the conversation about whose parents could skate and whose were probably going to end up falling a lot.

"Go away Minko." Hope van Dyne said with a deep frown and her best glare.

Natasha and Hope had been best friends for as long as either could remember. Hope's parents worked with Natasha's mum, and was the only reason Natasha was even remotely ok with moving to Washington D.C., especially when she was told she'd be going to the same school as Hope.

"Why can't Natasha go?" Another classmate asked out of curiosity.

Tina smirked. "Because it's a family night thing and Natasha doesn't have a real family."

"I do too!" Natasha replied. Why would the other girl even say that? She had a family! She had the best family!

"No you don't." Tina argued. "You don't have real parents."

Natasha's pale skin was starting to flush as her anger began to rise. "I do have parents, they were even at parents night, and they'll be at family skate. Where were your parents, Minko? Wasn't that your nanny with you on parents night? Will your nanny be coming to skate night too?"

Anger flashed in the other girl's eyes. "At least my parents are normal and my real parents! You're adopted, and having two moms is weird!"

"Having two moms isn't weird!" Natasha shot back. Her mothers had never shied away from talking to her about the fact that she was adopted. Some children, her Mum had said, were loved and raised by the mothers who gave birth to them, but some children were chosen by mothers to love and raise when their birth mothers couldn't. Natasha had always felt special because she'd been chosen by her mothers to be the child they loved. "At least I have moms who wanted me and love me, they choose to be my moms! Your parents are stuck with you because the condom broke and the clinic was closed, they didn't want you, why do you think they're always away?"

In the years to come Natasha would learn to read the way an opponent's muscles moved under their skin and use that to prepare herself for an attack. But that was a skill she didn't have yet, so she didn't see Tina coming until the other girl was on top of her, her head cracking hard on the ground. It dazed Natasha enough that Tina was able to get a couple of punches in before she started fighting back.

Angie knew her kid wasn't a perfect angel. Natasha was a good girl, but she was just a kid, and kids got into trouble sometimes. Angie also knew that Natasha wasn't the type of kid to get into school yard fights, so it came as quite a surprise when she got the call from her daughter's school. Natasha had been in a fight and she needed to come pick her up. What? Angie's mind ran through all kinds of scenarios to explain what could have possibly happened to make Natasha get into an actual physical fight with a classmate. It simply didn't make sense to her.

Walking into the main office Angie's gaze instantly found her daughter sitting in one of the plastic chairs outside the nurse's office. Her heart dropped at the sight of her baby girl sitting there holding an ice pack to the back of her head and blood on her white button down. Walking over to Natasha, Angie crouched down to look her over with wide eyes. "Nattie, your shirt! Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Natasha answered nervously. The moment she saw her mother walk in her little heart rate speed up and her stomach knotted so tightly it hurt. "Blood's not mine." She licked at her busted lip and frowned a little. "Most of it's not mine."

"Ms. Martinelli." The headmaster's voice called out.

Angie stood, fire in her eyes. "Why is my child bloody?"

"Please, step inside and we'll discuss it." The man said, stepping aside to allow Angie entrance into his office.

Natasha didn't cry when her head hit the ground, she didn't tear up when Tina busted her lip, or while the headmaster was grilling her about what happened. But when her Ma put her hand on her knee as she stood before disappearing into the headmaster's office, she felt the sting in her eyes. The thought of her mothers being mad at her, disappointed in her, that's what was going to make her cry. She'd been honest with the headmaster when he asked what caused the fight, he knew what had been said, and that Tina had started it. Natasha wasn't sure if this would matter or not, she still got into a fight at school, she was still being suspended. When she felt her bottom lip start to quiver Natasha sucked in a sharp breath, closed her eyes, and dug the fingers of the hand not holding the ice pack into her thigh until she was sure she wasn't going to cry.

When she stepped back out into the larger main office Angie watched her daughter for a moment, watched Natasha trying to be so stoic, and she couldn't help a small tick of a grin. So much like Peggy, she thought. "Natasha." Natasha opened her eyes to look at her and Angie knew she was trying so hard not to cry. "Do you have all of your things?"

"Yes ma'am." Natasha said while pointing at her bookbag.

"Ok." Angie replied as she walked over and picked up the bag and the little blazer that had been tossed along side it. Then she held out her hand to her daughter."Let's go home."

Natasha slipped her hand into her mother's a bit timidly but her Ma gave her hand a squeeze and when she looked up at her she had a small, soft smile on her lips. Natasha relaxed a bit, and tried to smile back but she just didn't feel it.

On the drive home Angie kept stealing glances at Natasha in the review, her gaze landing either on her daughter's glassy eyes or her split lip. She sighed softly to herself. Obviously she and Peggy couldn't ignore the fact that Natasha had gotten into a fight, but she totally understood why the fight happened. "You know, I was really hoping you'd get to be just a little older before you found out that some people are just shit people."

Turning her head away from the window to look at the back of her mother's head Natasha blinked. "What?"

"There are people out there, Nattie, who are just really crappy people." Angie explained. "They're not happy unless they're finding what they consider faults in others and trying to use those faults to hurt them. It's bullshit, Nattie, but some people are just shitty like that and we have to learn how to deal with them." Catching her daughter's gaze in the mirror she added, "Perferbally without breaking their noses."

Natasha huffed. "She wouldn't get off of me. I warned her twice to get off of me."

"I know you were defending yourself, Nattie." Angie said as she pulled into the driveway of their home, and into the garage. "Mummy and I will talk out the details, but you're not in trouble for defending yourself."

"I'm not?" Natasha was surprised.

Angie smiled at her daughter as they headed inside. "Like I said, Mummy and I need to talk out details, and we're going to want to talk to you about everything, but that can wait. Go upstairs and get cleaned up, hop in the shower baby, and just toss that shirt but bring me your skirt. I might be able to get it clean."

Natasha looked down at herself and then up at her mother and said, "I didn't know noses could bleed that much."

Sometimes Peggy felt like she was playing nanny to two four year old boys when she got caught in the middle of Howard and Hank arguing over whatever it was they were arguing about at the moment. Neither man liked to share when it came to their scientific discoveries, and yet both seemed to think that it was an unfair practice when it came to the other. When she caught sight of Rose slipping into the conference room Peggy found herself actually hoping for a crisis that would get her away from the science stooges. When Rose stepped up beside her to whisper in her ear Peggy's eyes went a little wide. When she'd wished for a crisis she hadn't meant one at home. "If you gentlemen will excuse me."

"Everything alright, Peg?" Howard asked.

"Yes, there's just a phone call I must take." Peggy said as she made her way towards the door. "Do carry on, just please try not to kill each other."

Both men looked insulted. "We're perfectly capable of having a debate without it coming to blows, Peggy." Hank huffed.

Peggy snorted softly and left the room. When she got back to her office she sat behind her desk and picked up her phone. "Angie, darling, is everything alright?"

"Mostly." Angie answered. "I had to pick Nattie up at school. She got into a fight, but before you get mad, she was defending herself."

"Is she alright?" Peggy asked, flooded with concern more than anything at the moment.

"Smacked her head on the ground really good when the little shit tackled her." Angie growled. "Nurse said we might want to watch her for concussion symptoms. She's got a pretty nasty busted lip too."

Peggy's concern remained, concussions weren't a joke, but now anger was slowly joining the mix. "What the hell happened?"

"Any chance you can get home soon?" Angie was biting her lip. "There's a lot we need to talk about, and a lot we need to talk to her about."

"I'll see what I can do." Peggy promised.

"Good." Angie sighed softly and then chuckled. "And because I know you English, and I know what you're thinking, yeah, the other kid got it worse. Nattie broke the little shit's nose."

Peggy blinked, a little startled by that fact. "Broke her nose?"

"Yeap." Angie drawled. "Our kid don't play, English. She warned the other girl to get off of her and when she didn't, well."

Natasha wouldn't have the strength at her age to break someone's nose with a simple punch, and it wasn't something Natasha would have learned in her judo or aikido classes, which meant that someone had taught her daughter to throw a very specific type of punch. She would have to ask who. "Give me a bit to move some things around, love, and I'll be home as soon as I can."

It took well over an hour for Peggy to get out of the office, plus the drive home to the Maryland suburb where she and Angie had made their home, so she hadn't gotten home quite as soon as she would have liked. Angie greeted her when she walked in and quickly told her what had happened. Peggy's heart hurt for her little girl. She frowned deeply and shook her head with a soft sigh.

"We expected she would someday run into issues about having two moms." Angie said with a shake of her own head. "Never thought they'd pick on her for being adopted though."

Peggy hummed thoughtfully. "Being adopted has been looked down upon in the past, but I thought people had come along further than this in that regard. In think in this case, seeing as how this Tina Minko has been an issue for awhile now, the girl was looking for buttons to push to get a reaction from Natasha and just happened to land on us."

"People are shit, English." Angie said firmly.

"Yes, I suppose they can be." Peggy replied.

Natasha knew her Mum was home, and even though her Ma had said she wasn't in big trouble, that tight painful knot in her stomach was back. Aunt Maria and Tony had been in Europe for a few weeks, and Aunt Maria had gone to several ballets while they were there. Tony had gone with her, much to his mother's surprise, and had slipped a recording device in with him each time. He'd sent her videotapes of each performance including the Mariinsky Ballet company, Russia's best, performing Sleeping Beauty, and the Royal Ballet company performing Carmen. The television in their living room was currently playing a scene from Giselle, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet, and the principal dancer was Natasha's favorite ballerina, but her focus was on what was happening in the kitchen and not on the tv.

Peggy found it endearing that her child could get into a playground brawl and then come home and watch illegally obtained Russian ballet videos, and it just reminded her of just how special Natasha was. "Hi poppet, mind if we turn Miss Alexandrova off for a moment, please?"

"Sure Mummy." Natasha said as she turned off the tv and vcr. Then she looked down at her hands in her lap. Feeling her mother sit down beside her, she tensed a little. She didn't want to see disappointment in her mother's eyes. Just because her Ma hadn't looked at her that way, didn't mean her Mum wouldn't.

Reaching out Peggy gently cupped her daughter's face as she asked, "Will you look at Mummy please, darling?" She didn't force the girl to move her face up towards her, she waited on Natasha to do herself. When those beautiful worry filled blue-green eyes were looking into her own Peggy smiled softly. She very gently caressed the corner of Natasha's lips. "That looks like it hurt quite a bit."

"It's not so bad." Natasha said softly. "As long as I remember not to drink lemonade."

Peggy chuckled, she couldn't help it. "Oh poppet, I think straws might be in order for a week or so." Taking her hand from Natasha's cheek she reached up to feel the back of her daughter's head gently. "That's an impressive little egg, darling."

"Yeah, that made my head hurt." Natasha admitted.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad day, sweetheart." Peggy said as she leaned in to place a kiss to Natasha's forehead. When she pulled back Natasha was looking at her strangely. "What is darling?"

"Aren't you mad at me?" Natasha asked. "For fighting and getting into trouble?"

"You were defending yourself, were you not?" Peggy asked, brow raised slightly. Natasha nodded gently, and Peggy noted that her headache must be lingering despite Angie having given her something for it. "Then no, darling, I'm not angry with you. Now, if you had started the fight, or been fighting for a ridiculous reason then yes, I would be very cross with you, and you and I would be having a very different conversation."

Natasha both relaxed at knowing she really wasn't in as much trouble as she thought, but also understood her mother's tone that her worry had been somewhat warranted.

"Why don't you tell us what happened, Nattie?" Peggy asked. "So if there's ever a next time Mama and I can help you figure out a way to handle things that will hopefully not lead to you getting your head knocked into the ground."

"She said we weren't a real family." Natasha said after a moment of hesitation, because she didn't want to hurt her mothers the way Tina's words had hurt her. "And that you and Ma were weirdos."

"You know that isn't true, don't you?" Angie asked gently. "You know we are a real family and me and Mummy loving each other doesn't make us weirdos?"

"I know." Natasha nodded. "I told Tina that too, and I told her that you and Mummy picked me special to love."

"We certainly did, my darling." Peggy said with a warm smile and a gentle caress of Natasha's cheek. When she noticed the blush blooming on her little girl's cheeks, she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What else did you say Natasha?"

Natasha bit her lip, forgetting once again about it being busted and hissed in pain, before she admitted. "Something about her parents were only her parents because of a broken condom amd a closed clinic."

"Natasha!" Peggy scolded while Angie fell against the back of the sofa laughing. Peggy shot her wife a look. "Angela, really."

"Oh come on, English!" Angie replied, catching her breath. "That was a good one. That's the Brooklyn in our girl shining through."

"And just how is our daughter aware of how a broken condom could result in pregnancy?" Peggy accused. "Or about such clinics?"

"Don't look at me, English." Angie held up her hands. "We have those kinds of talks with her together, whatever I've said, you've heard."

Peggy turned her gaze to Natasha, the look on her face asking the silent question.

"Would you believe tv?" Natasha asked in response.

"I would not." Peggy replied.

Natasha sighed and regretfully answered, "It's something I've heard Uncle Howard say."

"Of course, the obvious suspect." Peggy rolled her eyes.

For twenty minutes they talked about better ways to handle situations like the one Natasha had found herself in. Peggy and Angie re-enforced that it was always better to try and talk things out first, but if it comes down to defending one's self then one must do as they must. They also talked about how Natasha didn't have to defend them to anyone, she didn't have to defend their family. They explained that there would be three types of people when it came to their unconventional family, those who would accept them for who they were, those who would come around, and those who would dislike them simply for being different. "Those people, Nattie, the ones who will never come around, well, they can just bloody sod off."

Natasha giggled at her proper mother cursing.

Angie bumped Natasha's shoulder and smiled at her with a wink. "Don't let Mummy fool ya angel, she swears like a soldier."

"If you recall my love, I was a soldier." Peggy chuckled. "Speaking of my soldiering days. Nattie, show me exactly how you hit the girl." She watched the way Natasha didn't quite make a fist, but curled her fingers over, and then jabbed upwards with the heel of her hand. Peggy blinked, "Who taught you how to do that?"

"Uncle Dum Dum." Natasha answers. "He says I'm tiny, and sometimes tiny needs an upper hand."

Peggy shook her head. "It would seem that Mummy and Uncle Dum Dum need to have a chat."

"Why?" Natasha asked, feeling bad because she seemed to be getting a lot of her uncles in trouble with her Mum.

"Because darling, that way of punching someone will almost always result in a broken nose." Peggy answered.

"Oh!" Natasha replied, wide eyed. "That's why there was so much blood! Hope totally puked."

"This is why school janitors don't get paid enough." Angie chuckled.

"We'll be sure to get Mr. Johnson something nice for the holidays." Peggy said, turning her gaze to Natasha. "Along with a reassurance that our little goblin won't be making any more of her classmates bleed quite so profusely."

"I can't promise that, Mummy." Natasha replied earnestly.

"Why not?" Peggy demanded gently. She'd been sure that Natasha had understood everything they'd just talked about.

"I don't know what profusely means." Natasha answered.

Peggy laughed, reached out with quick relaxes and tickled the girl before pulling her into her lap. "It means a lot, Nattie."

It was so much easier to protect Natasha from the world outside their home when she was small and always at their sides. Now that she was out in the world on her own, all they could do was make sure she had the skills to navigate it as safely as possible. That was hard to do when there were people out there who wanted to hurt her for no other reason than hurt a child. Peggy tightened her hold on her daughter as she carefully kissed the top of her head. Angie was right, some people were just shit and it Peggy hated that she couldn't protect Natasha from them all.


	4. Chapter 4

Battle of New York

With her study door open Peggy Carter could faintly hear the murmuring of the television playing in the living room. She'd just finished up some household business, and was looking over some papers before lunch when she heard something crash in the front of the house. Stuffing her papers in her desk door as she sprang to her feet Peggy raced to the living room just as Angie's voice cried out her name. When she arrived she found her wife, pale and trembling, standing in front of the television, lunch smashed to pieces on the floor. "Angie?" Her wife pointed to the screen with a shaky hand and Peggy moved to stand beside her to see what Angie was pointing at. Peggy watched in stricken horror as things, she wasn't sure what kinds of things, came pouring out of the sky over New York City.

"Peggy?" Angie whispered, her voice giving away her fright.

"I don't know." Peggy said honestly. "I have no clue, darling."

As the shock of what they were witnessing faded a bit Peggy began to realize what she was seeing was an invading alien army. Peggy was well aware that they were not alone in the galaxy. Nicholas had once introduced her to a remarkable young woman with extraordinary powers who had been taken to another planet and trained as a soldier. He had also given her daughter an orange tabby cat named Agent Goose, who was not at all a tabby cat. Natasha still had it, her, Agent Goose living in her apartment. Yes, Peggy Carter was well aware of aliens, of gods and monsters, and all the other fantastical things that existed beyond normal human comprehension. Those things were the whole reason she and Howard had created and built SHIELD.

Standing there watching it all unfold on her television screen made Peggy feel uncomfortable in her own skin. It felt wrong for her to just be standing there doing nothing. She should be out there coordinating her teams, working with her agents, shoring up defenses, and fighting! But that was no longer her job, she'd retired, given control over to Nicholas. All she could do now was watch, pray, and hope that she'd left the world in good hands.

Nicholas had been working on something for years. She knew that it somehow involved her godson because of that bloody armor of his, and Peggy suspected that it also involved Steve. She could almost certainly tie the events in New Mexico to this as well. What she had not seen coming, and perhaps in hindsight she should have, was Natasha's involvement, but there she was on shaky cell phone footage right alongside Captain American.

"Oh God, Peggy, look!" Angie said as she sank onto the sofa. "What is she doing there!"

Slowly Peggy sat down beside her wife, taking Angie's hands into her own. "Her job, love."

Natasha had just turned seventeen when Fury approached her about joining SHIELD. She'd been trying to understand what her mother meant by finding purpose, and when he'd offered her a chance to follow in her mother's footsteps, Natasha hadn't hesitated. With a foundation of skills already had from years spent training in gymnastics, dance, and martial arts, Natasha trained to become the best. HYDRA, Hammer, AIM, the Russians, they all knew her codename and feared it. But those were just men, humans drunk and twisted on power. This, this was a fucking alien army falling out a whole in the sky! And she was just a spy, not a super soldier. She wore basic SHIELD issue tactical gear, not a technological suit of armor. She was just a human, not a god or an irradiated monster. At least she wasn't the only simple human on the team.

She stood with Clint at her side, which helped because if she was going to fight aliens in the middle of Manhattan she wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride. What was really freaking her out, perhaps even a bit more than the aliens, was the fact that she was fighting alongside Captain America just as her mother had all those years ago. That was even more trippy then the Norse God and the fact that her stupid genius idiot cousin was flying over their heads in a red and gold suit of armor. On the bright side the surrealness of fighting with Captain America had distracted her from the almost debilitating fear she'd felt while she'd been chased through the helicarrier by a massive green rage monster. "What has my life become?"

"Exciting?" Clint offered with a shrug.

While the heavy hitters worked on taking out the flying alien whale things, Natasha, Clint and Cap focused on civilians. Thankfully good old fashioned bullets seemed to work against the ground troops, though at this rate Natasha wasn't sure how long she had before she ran out. At least she'd last longer than Clint and his quiver. "Just like Budapest all over again."

"You and I remember Badapest very differently." Clint replied.

As they fought Natasha found herself wondering how much of Rogers tactician skills were his own and how much was the serum. It didn't really matter to her which one it was. She just wanted a few seconds to think of something other than, 'kill them before they kill you'. When Banner shows up she finds it hard to approach him but she does it anyway, her mother's voice whispering softly in her thoughts, "do not allow fear to become an enemy that slows you down and weakens you, poppet, but allow it to be a companion that makes you stronger."

"We could use a little worse." She tells him as she looks into his eyes and can't help but search for the monster within.

"Heads up." Tony's voice calls out over their comms once he knows Banner is with them. "I'm bringing the party to you guys, I wouldn't want you to miss out on all the fun."

Natasha watches as her cousin leads the biggest of the alien ship whale things right towards them. "Tony, I think we really need to talk about you idea of a fun party."

In Brooklyn in a faded red brick brownstone Peggy listens to her wife as she prays beside her while they watch their daughter and nephew fight monsters from another planet. Peggy had already called Nicholas and left him a seething message about Natasha being on this super secret team he's been building, and warns him that if anything happens to any one of her three children she'll take his good eye with her bare hands so he had better hope his Avengers can take care of business and survive it. Now she sits and watches as the Hulk crashes into one of the, what she is assuming is a ship, and flips it. She holds her breath because she can clearly see the shock of red hair at the bottom corner of the screen. Peggy Carter watches from the center of an emotional malesorm as Captain American uses his iconic shield to shield her daughter from harm. Taking her wife's hand in her own, Peggy begins to pray right along with her.

They're standing on opposite sides of the bridge. Cap looks concerned, but Natasha smiles. He doesn't seem to find it reassuring.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asks.

Natasha smirks. "Yeah, sure, it's going to be fun." Then she raises her hand and points a finger at him. "Never. Ever. Tell my mother about this."

Steve watches her run towards him, onto the hood of the car beside him, and then feels her boots hit his shield. He uses all his strength to push, launching her up into the air and onto one of those alien bike things. He smiles as she pulls the rider from his seat and throws him to the ground. Shaking his head he simple says, "Those Carter dames are truly something else."

"Hey Nattie!" Tony says as he flies up alongside Natasha. "Having fun yet? Still sure you don't what me to make you some armor?"

Natasha groans, though she isn't sure if it's from the effort of stabbing knives into an alien's exoskeleton or because of Tony. "I'm not flying around in a tin can, Tony." She knew he was pouting, she didn't need to actually see his face to know that. "But," She added as she spared a second to turn her head and look at him. "If you want to make me some toys to play with, I wouldn't say no."

Tony whooped happily and did a corkscrew as he flew away. "I already have some ideas!"

On the list of things Natasha Carter never in a million years thought she'd be doing, using the scepter of a Norse god to close an interplanetary portal to stop an alien invasion wasn't even on the bloody list because how the hell could she have ever imagined something like this! But here she stood, on the roof of Tony's massive building pushing Loki's scepter through a forcefield with all her might. But then she hears Tony's voice in her ear telling her to wait, there's a nuke on it's way and he's diverting it. A nuke, if it were to hit, that wouldn't just take out New York City, it would rain chaos and death all across the five boroughs. Brooklyn. A faded red brick brownstone. "Tony."

"I got this Nat." Tony replies. "Wait until I give the signal."

"Stark." Steve's voice cuts in. "You know that's a one way trip."

Natasha's heart, already thundering from the fight, speeds up. "Tony."

There's a crackle of static over the comms that singles a change in frequencies, and then Tony's voice again. "Ya know, despite all his annoying flaws, Louie really does love Huey and Dewey with all his damaged little heart."

The comms crackle again, a switch back to the open team comms. Natasha stands on the roof of Stark Tower fighting the urge to drop the scepter to save Tony, her body trembling, tears welling in her eyes as she watches him carry the nuke up towards the hole. While in a SHIELD mobile command unit Agent 13's knees go weak, her face pales, and she has to catch herself on the railing where she stands.

Peggy's phone rings, Tony's face lighting up the screen. She's watching as Iron Man flies towards the hole in the sky, and as she answers her hand shakes. "Anthony?"

"Hiya Aunt Peggy." Tony's voice is calm and steady over the crackly connection, his eyes flickering between his distention and Pepper's line, she still hasn't picked up. "I just wanted to call and say I'm sorry, ya know, for being such a putz, for not living up to Dad and…"

"I never expected you to be your father, Anthony." Peggy tells him. Tears fall when she closes her eyes, unable to watch what's happening on the tv for a moment. "I have only ever wanted you to be you, my sweet, smart, and clever boy. I have only ever wanted you to see the amazing man I know you to be, for yourself."

There was a quiver in Tony's voice. "I tried, Aunt Peggy. I really did."

"We know you did, Anthony." Peggy opens her eyes to watch because she will not turn away when he needs her most. "I am very proud of you, Tony."

"That means everything to me, Aunt Peg." The line is quite for a second or two and then Tony continues. "Is Aunt Angie there too?"

"I am, bud." Angie said softly, her voice to unstead to speak any louder than a horse whisper.

"I'm pretty damn lucky you know. I got the best aunts ever." Tony tells them just before the line goes dead.

"Tony?" Peggy says softly. "Tony? Anthony!?"

Natasha hestates for a second, Tony's up there, he's in that hole in the sky, but it's only for a second. She pushes the scepter through, touching the tip of it to the tesseract. The portal starts to close, she watches, silently says every prayer her Ma has ever taught her. Her mind flashes through memories of growing up with Tony; birthdays spent together, lighting menorah candles with Aunt Ana, she and Tony with Uncle Howard in his lab, flooding it with tie dye form, and getting caught up to her neck in it by her mother, Uncle Jarvis teaching them how to make the perfect cup of tea, and building sandcastles with her Ma. The weight of it all is about to send Natasha crashing to her knees in the gravel but then a glint of light off of red and gold armor catches her eyes. She watches Tony falling and rushes to the edge of the roof as if there were some way she could catch him, only to see the Hulk do it for her.

Slowly Natasha sinks to her knees as the gratitude and relief washes over her. She smirks, lets out a stress fueled laugh. "And now he's going to be insufferable."

When they regroup, just before heading inside to deal with Loki, Natasha slaps Tony and then throws her arms around his neck. "Don't ever do something like that again!"

Tony hugs her, ignoring the confused looks on everyone's face but Clint's. "No promises, Nattie."

When she pulls away enough to demand a reason why he shrugs. "To much of her in me too I guess."

She thinks she likes shawarma, but it was honestly hard to tell. All Natasha could taste was grit and the metallic iron taste of blood. The city was a mess, it would take years to get it all put back together. With the immediate threat over, and now that Tony had gotten his shawarma, Natasha was making her way through the rubble and ruin on a hotwired, borrowed bike she'd found outside the shawarma place. She hadn't said a word to the others, though she did spare a reassuring glance for Clint and Tony. She just hopped on a working motorcycle and took off. Natasha didn't stop until she pulled up in front of the faded red brick brownstone. She trudged up the stairs, unlocked the door and walked inside. She and Tony had already called them, talked to them, letting them know they were both safe and sound. She knew they would be waiting for her, so it wasn't a surprise when they appeared as she made her way towards the stairs. She gave her mothers a wave and then began climbing.

With each step upwards she peeled away the nightmare she'd just survived. Her weapons belt, her utility belt, her gauntlets all hit the stairs as Natasha made her way to the second floor of her childhood home. Her boots were left on the landing. Her uniform lay in ragged dust and blood covered pieces in the hallway. Passing her own room she went to her mothers', and in her standard issue undershirt and shorts, skin covered in grit, grim, and blood both human and alien, hair matted with from the gash on her head that left an itchy dry streak along the side of her face, Natasha crashed onto her mothers' bed. She went face first into her Ma's pillow, not even caring that it hurt her battered, bruised face, or her busted lip. Reaching for her Mum's pillow she pulled it close, sandwiching her head between the two, and inhaling the smell of her mothers hair as if it were pure oxygen.

When Natasha walked in Angie shot to her feet and was about to run to her daughter, needing to hold her in arms, but Peggy stopped her. They stood there and watched as Natasha made her way up the stairs stripping off items as she went. Angie shook her head, "She certainly is your daughter isn't she, Margaret?"

"Yes." Peggy replied, knowing that Angie wasn't truly angry with her despite the tone and use of her real name. They'd both been terrified and overwhelmed with emotions unexplainable. Those feelings would take time to sort out and get over. "Yes, I suppose she is."

Peggy gathered up Natasha's equipment and weapons, stashing them away safely in Natasha's room, while Angie gathered up their daughter's ruined uniform. The sound Angie made upon discovering the blood on the uniform broke Peggy's heart. Once that was done they walked into their bedroom to find Natasha in middle of their bed clutching their pillows. They each walked over to their respective sides and laid down beside her. She curled into them and they held her, allowing the relief of her being safe and sound in their arms overshadow, for now, the fact that she was so shaken up over what happened, she'd come home and crawled into their bed the way she did when she was frightened and overwhelmed as a child.

"It's alright now, poppet." Peggy said softly as she pressed her forehead to the back of Natasha's head. "We've got you know, love. Mama and I got you."

"You go to sleep, angel." Angie said, pressing her lips against Natasha's forehead. "That's enough superheroing for one day."

That actually made Natasha snort into her pillows. Was she a superhero now? She'd think about what that means later. Right now, in this moment, all she was was a young woman who needed to be in her mothers' arms. To feel safe, and normal, and not have to deal with aliens and monsters and gods. And until she was finished being that young woman, the rest of the bloody world could just fuck off.


	5. Chapter 5

Crossing Paths

The first time she sees her since walking out of that faded brick brownstone in Brooklyn that cold and snowy night, it's completely by happenstance. Dottie had tracked down and followed a Russian businessman who funneled a lot of his criminally gotten cash into the Red Room to New York City. She was in the process of redirecting his money into accounts that would allow that money to be put to better use. Once that task was complete she would pay off the hooker meant to go to his hotel room and put an end to his miserable life. While she waited she took in the extravagant American city in the throws of the holiday season. As Dottie navigated her way down 5th Avenue she couldn't seem to stop her thoughts from drifting back to the last time she'd been in this city at this time of year. The girl's birthday would be in a few weeks. She would be five.

There was a giant ice rink set up in the middle of Rockefeller Center. It was ringed by clusters of people watching those actually on the ice. Dottie didn't normally pay the rink or the people much attention but as she walked past a very familiar sound made her look up. It was a laugh, one of pure and utter joy, followed by a familiar voice. Peggy.

Weaving her way through the crowd Dottie positioned herself to look out onto the ice, her blue eyed gaze scanning for the source of that laugh. When she found her, when she laid eyes on Peggy Carter, her heart stopped and her breath hitched. Not simply because of Peggy, but more so because of the tiny girl wobbling on white skates between Peggy and Angie. The little girl had on thick, warm looking black pants, a puffy white coat, and a little knitted hat that looked like a panda. Peeking out from under the hat were long red curls, her pale skin was flushed a soft pink from the chill, and her tiny mitten covered hands were held firmly by the two women on either side of her. She was laughing, a huge smile on her face, and pure delight shining in her blue-green eyes. The little girl radiated as much joy and happiness as Peggy and Angie did.

Then Peggy's beautiful smile faulted a little as her head looked up from watching her daughter, her sharp brown gaze searching, and Dottie knew it was time to move on. She never once regretted what she did, but seeing them, seeing her safe and sound and happy, a beautiful and joyful little girl leaning to play and have fun with her mothers, it eased some of the sting Dottie carried around in her heart.

The second time Dottie sees her she's investigating dance schools in Washington D.C. and is lurking backstage at a commonly used auditorium during a ballet recital. Again it's Peggy she notices first, sitting in the front row with Angie sitting beside her on her right, a young teenage boy to her left. To the left of the boy is the tall Englishman who use to drive Peggy around, Stark's man, Jarvis, and beside him a pale woman with long red hair. On stage near the center of the line of girls who looked to be between the ages of eight and ten was a girl with her long red hair in a ballerina's bun. She was a bit smaller than most of the other girls, but she was by far better than all of them.

For a full minute Dottie could feel anger bubbling in her chest. Peggy knew the kinds of training Red Room girls went through, how could she have allowed this! But as she continued to watch she could see that the girl was a natural. She also noticed that her flushed little face was not twisted in painful determination, but glowed with joy and concentration. She was dancing for fun. Dottie blinked. The girl danced because she enjoyed it, and because she was good at it, there was nothing else behind it, just enjoyment, enrichment. Dottie relaxed. She lingered a moment longer and then went back to what she was doing. This wasn't the dance school she was looking into, they would be using the space later on, Dottie had just wanted to be set up before then.

She'd meant to be long gone before the end of the recital but she misjudged her timing, wither by accident or on purpose she wasn't really sure. She was stepping out of the back room just as the herd of small girls came rushing off stage. On instinct she sought her out, she wasn't hard to miss with that hair. Dottie's Baba had hair like that when she was little, before the soldiers came, before the Red Room. Before she knew what she was doing Dottie had walked over to the girl, who'd broken away from her equally excited classmates to retrieve her water bottle. "You dance very well little one."

Natasha looked up, eyeing the woman carefully and only relaxing when she sees the name tag on her jacket that says she works here. "Thank you." She beams. "I practiced a lot for this one."

"It shows." Dottie says. "You're a natural."

From the wings a familiar British voice calls out over the roar of little girl chatter, "Natasha!"

The girl's face lits up as she turns away from the blonde woman to look for her mother. "Mummy!"

Dottie slips away, her heart pounding. What had she been thinking! If Peggy had seen her! Natasha. Peggy had given her a Russian name, and even though Dottie felt like she should be angry, she felt touched by the gesture. Natasha, born on Christmas, it was fitting. Natasha Carter. She liked it.

Dottie's in Panama hiding from the latest assassin sent to take her out of the game. She's toying with this one, amusing herself before she takes him out. It's embarrassing for her enemies really, she's getting older and yet time after time she bests the people they send after her. It's insulting to her, she knows they have better, they have Him, and yet she gets these lazy, sloppy, losers. She's sitting in a cafe near the window enjoying a bit of breakfast when her instincts cause her to turn towards the window. Narrowing her eyes Dottie scans the street beyond, only to have them go wide at the sight of a blazing red braid. She watches as the girl, she'd be seventeen now, used her school girl innocence to gain access to the building across the street.

Getting up from the table, her half eaten breakfast forgotten, Dottie makes her way outside. She goes to the back of the building the girl had talked her way into, and easily slipped inside. It was a government building from the looks of it, and Dottie couldn't help but wonder what was Natasha doing here. The answer set Dottie's blood to boil. She watched as Natasha obtained some documents, and then followed her out of the building and through the town to a hotel. She watched as Natasha handed over her scanning device to an older woman with dark hair and a clear military stink about her. What the hell! What was Peggy thinking!

The english style pub made Dottie's eyes roll. It was a bit cliche, the British expat spending her down time in a knock off substitutie for a place she'd find back home. Making her way towards the back corner, Dottie found Peggy easily. Slipping into the two person booth across from Peggy, she smiled. To anyone else it looked as if Peggy's response was that of a woman greeting an expected friend or acquaintance, but Dottie knew Peggy better than a lot of people, and she could see the shock her sudden appearance caused in the other woman.

"It's been a long time, Dottie." Peggy said softly, her dark eyes locked onto the woman across from her.

Dottie smiled that twisted little smile that was meant only for Peggy when she saw the way Peggy was taking her in. Two years ago she'd started wearing her hair short and red, and she wondered if Peggy could see Natasha in her. She had, despite trying not to, looked for herself in Natasha the rare handful of times she'd laid eyes on her. She'd convinced herself that she just wanted to make sure no one could look at the girl and discover she existed simply because they recognized her features in the child. "It has been." Dottie agreed. "We haven't seen each other face to face since the night I thought I could trust you."

Peggy blinked, her lips frowning a bit. She knew where this was leading, who this conversation was about, and it made her tense up. "You can trust me."

"I told you I didn't want her to be like me." Dottie lowered her voice, her anger lacing it with a threatening hiss. "And when I said I wanted her to be like you I didn't mean for you to turn her into a secret agent for your side. You were supposed to keep her safe, you were supposed to give her a better life than the ones we've lived."

"I have, Dottie." Peggy replied, her own voice laced with confusing and growing concern.

"Then why is she in Panama right now?" Dottie demanded.

"She isn't." Peggy answered honestly. "She's spending the semester in Europe in an intensive language program." She smiled. Peggy couldn't help but light up whenever she spoke of her daughter. Everything from her eyes to her voice radiated pride. "She has a remarkable gift for languages."

Now Dottie was the one who looked shocked. Peggy honestly had no idea. Slipping a burner phone from her pocket she accessed a collection of pictures and then slid it across the table to Peggy. "I know a training exercise when I see one, Peg. If you're not training to her be like us, someone else is."

Dottie had never in all her time 'studying' Peggy Carter ever seen the woman turn that shade of reddish purple before. It honestly scared the hell out of her, but it also left her with a sense of comfort because she knew deep down she'd done the right thing. Giving the girl to Peggy had been for the best. Peggy loved her, and would always look out for her. As she left the pub Dottie actually felt a small bit of pity for whomever was about to face Peggy Carter's warth.

The last time Dottie lays eyes on Natasha they're on the icy catwalk of a Siberin factory with one of Russian's piss poor attempts at creating a super soldier between them. They had entered the facility on opposite sides of the compound for totally different reasons. Each of them easily taking out any opposition to reaching their goals. That christmas so long ago Dottie had told Peggy the child's father was dead, but it hadn't been Dottie who'd killed him, it had been the man standing between her and Natasha. This upstart who thought he could take Alexei's place, who took pleasure in watching the life drain from him, was about to pay for his choices. Finally, after all this time Dottie would make him pay for his arrogance.

They could have both taken him down on their own, though neither would have walked away without injury, but working together made it a piece of cake. For several seconds after the fight is over both women stand slightly doubled over to catch their breaths. Dottie turns to look at Natasha and smiles, "You're not half bad for an American."

Natasha returns the smile. "You're not bad half bad yourself, for an old woman."

Dottie laughs. When they straighten up and face each other Natasha stares, and Dottie's amusement evaporates. "Is this the part where we fight each other, Agent Romanoff?"

"I know who you are." Natasha replies easily. "And I know you know Romanoff isn't my name."

"Ah." Dottie says softly, knowingly. "This isn't the part where we fight. This is the part where Agent Carter tells me she can help me get out? Offers me a chance to live a normal life? You truly are her daughter."

"This is the part where I say thank you." Natasha is earnest, her eyes showing her sincerity. "Thank you for giving me to my mothers, and for the life that's allowed me to live."

It took a lot to shock Dottie Underwood, and this was one of those rare times where she was caught completely by surprise.

"I'm not going to offer to help you get out." Natasha continued. "But I have the resources to help you finally finish off the Red Room, I'd like to help."

"No." Dottie said firmly. "These are my problems, malen'kiy pauk, not yours." She glared at the younger woman and shook her head. "You are so much like her, like both of them. That's a good thing, but be mindful that that Carter heart of yours doesn't get you burned one day."

"I like to think I have traits from all of my mothers." Natasha said softly.

Dottie longed to touch her, but even now seemingly alone she was afraid too. If the wrong person were to see, it would put the girl in danger. When Dottie spoke again she spoke in Russian, repeating the words, malen'kiy pauk, little spider. But whatever else she was about to say was cut off, she sensed it before she heard it, the distant muffled pop of a sniper shot. Dottie moved quickly, shielding Natasha, taking the bullet.

Natasha moved just as quickly, pulling her weapon, eyes already on where the shot came from. She fires three times, and a man's body falls into the rocks below his hiding place, painting the snow bright red.

Dottie always has an escape, but Natasha doesn't know that. It's better this way. Better for them both. But she does regret causing the look of panic and grief on the girl's face as Natasha watches her tumble over the side of the catwalk, a growing blood stain coloring the front of her clothes.

When the news breaks years later about the heroes who saved the earth from an alien invasion, Dottie finds herself in a state of shock and awe as she listens to the presenters as they discuss what is being called the Battle of New York.

"And the woman fighting along Iron Man and Captain America?" One man says. "Who is she supposed to be?"

"According to the press release she's known as the Black Widow." The other answers.

Dottie smiles as she slides on her sunglasses and tugs at the brim of her hat as she walks out of the cafe and into the afternoon sun. The Black Widow, Natasha would do good using that name, far more than Dottie ever had. She feels pride swell as she makes her way down the sun soaked caribbean street. Yes, their girls would do great things.


	6. Chapter 6

Story Time

It was late and Peggy should probably head up to bed, but Angie was in Chicago workshopping a new play and Peggy hated being in their bed without her. After she'd put Natasha to bed she'd made herself a pot of tea and settled into her study to work for most of the night. She could function on only a few hours of sleep, but she probably shouldn't wait on getting those couple of hours. She'd promised Natasha a trip to the zoo, and her little ball of energy would be awake early in her excitement. Peggy didn't move though, she continued to work until she heard movement on the stairs, followed by tiny bare footfalls on the hardwood in the hall. Frowning, Peggy put her work away, securing it in her desk, and then walked over to her office door which had been slightly ajar. When she opened it she was greeted by her five year old daughter, red hair sleep tousled, Dum Dum Bear tucked into the crook of her arm, favorite blanket gripped tightly in her fist, pale skin a bit flushed.

"Nattie?" Peggy said softly as she looked down at her little girl. "Darling, why aren't you in bed?"

"Bad dream." Natasha answered as she gazed up at her mother with watery blue-green eyes.

Peggy crouched down so she was a bit more on level with her little one. The slightly pink flush of her skin made Peggy reach out with both hands to cup Natasha's face, finding that she felt a bit warm. It could have been from Natasha's habit of burrowing into her blankets, often overheating herself, or she could be getting sick. Pulling her girl close Peggy kissed her forehead. "Was it the Tellytubies dream again?"

Natasha shook her head as she felt herself being lifted into her mother's arms. "Cat people."

"Cat people?" Peggy repeated as she began to stand. "Goodness." Natasha rested her head on her shoulder, her little fingers finding a lock of Peggy's hair to twirl. She felt her baby nod and she tisked softly as she began walking towards the stairs. "I told Mama you were too little for Andrew Lloyd Webber."

"I sleep with you Mummy?" Natasha asked, a slight whine creeping into her voice. "Please?"

Peggy hummed softly as she as she checked to make sure the house was secure before shutting off the lights and beginning the climb up to the second floor. "I suppose with Mama still in Chicago you could keep her side of the bed warm."

Natasha sniffled a bit. "I miss Mama."

"I miss her too, poppet." Peggy replied as she rubbed Natasha's back. "But she'll be home in a few days. Her new play is almost ready, and when it is we'll get to see her on Broadway again." Natasha shivered and pressed her face more firmly into her neck. "Nattie?"

"Cat people are on Broadway." The little girl said.

Peggy gave her a squeeze and kissed her temple. She was going to have to have a word with Angie about this. "Those are just actors, my darling, like Mama. They're just playing pretend."

When they reached the master bedroom Peggy pulled back the covers and settled Natasha into Angie's place in the bed. It didn't feel as if Natasha was cooling off, so she wasn't flushed from being overheated. Peggy fetched the thermometer and the children's fever medicine from the bathroom. She asked Natasha if anything hurt and the girl said no, so Peggy figured it was just one of those bugs kids get. She gave her a dose of the medicine, and a glass of water, and then changed into her own pajamas. Sliding into bed she pulled Natasha close and her girl snuggled right into her with a soft sigh that melted Peggy's heart every time.

"Mummy?" Natasha said softly as she looked up at her mother in darkened room.

"Yes poppet?" Peggy replied.

"Tell me a story?" The little girl asked.

Peggy smiled and pressed a kiss to her daughter's head. "What kind of story my love?"

Natasha smiled. "A story about you and Mama."

"A story about me and Mama?" Peggy hummed. "Well, let's see. How about I tell you about the first time I meet Mama." She felt Natasha nod and cuddle closer. "Mama use to be a waitress at this automat diner called the L&L, and me, well, I worked for the phone company…"

* * *

_She should have known it wouldn't be any different than before the war. She should have known that once everyone was home they would want life to go back to the way it had been. Women in the home having and raising children, keeping the house, making the meals, while the men ruled over the world and them. Peggy had gotten used to the way things were during the war, the respect she had earned as a soldier, the respect of other soldiers, men like Chester Phillips, Steve Rogers, Dum Dum Dugan, hell even Bucky Barnes had respected her. Each and every one of those men and so many more had trusted her at their backs, followed her commands without question, and turned to her for leadership. Peggy missed the war, how messed up was that? During the war she was more than just some woman getting in the way like she was now. _

_The war ended. The Howling Commandos went their own way, some staying in the army while others went in search of a peaceful life as civilians in the world they helped save. Phillips retired, the bastard, having had enough of combat, enough killing, of letters written home to families telling them their sons, husbands, and fathers were dead. Peggy had been the Colonel's right hand, his second in command, and yet she was not in charge of the SSR, she wasn't even considered a senior agent. She had seen combat just like Dooley, Thomason, Sousa, and Flynn. Hell she'd probably seen things, fought against things, they couldn't even imagine. And yet she was nothing more than a glorified secretary, fetching coffee and taking messages. The only reason she wasn't working the switch board with Rose and the other women was because of Phillips, and his insistence that she be an agent. Dooley was looking for a reason to put her downstairs with the other girls, or secretly hoping she'd get married soon, so she'd be out of his hair. Ha! That wasn't bloody likely to happen! Peggy Carter would not be pressured or pushed out, she would not be moved, those chauvinistic, arrogant, sexist men she called colleagues would move or she'd go around them. _

_Peggy was lost in her thoughts of resentment, anger, and bitterness over her work situation, and the fact that she'd moved her whole life to this bloody country only to be treated like an unwelcome wench, which made it hard for her to continue Steve's work, until her stomach rumbled. Looking around she realized she'd wandered off her normal routes home. She tried not to take the same way home everyday, but this was a bit out of the way even for her. Taking in her surroundings Peggy grumbles at herself for allowing herself to get so distracted. Spotting an automat diner across the street, Peggy makes her way over. The L&L, according to its signage, wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either. It looked clean, and the smells drifted out from inside didn't remind Peggy of an army camp mess so that was a plus. After grabbing the evening edition of the paper from the newsie on the corner Peggy headed inside, slipping into an empty booth._

"_Be right with you, hon." A young woman in a uniform that Peggy couldn't quite tell if it was pale green or a faded blue said as she passed by with both hands full of plates for another table. Less than a minute later the young woman with dark blonde hair, bright blue-green eyes, and am almost infectious smile stood beside Peggy's table holding out a menu. "What can I getcha to drink, hon?" _

"_Coffee please." Peggy answers as she glances at the menu. "What would you recommend off the menu?"_

"_You want coffee with an accent like that?" The young woman, her name tag reads Angie, says with an amused smile. "English right?" _

_Peggy looks up the young woman and nods. "Yes." _

"_Thought so," Angie says with a smile. "My brother, Luca, he enlisted in the navy and came home with a real sweet Irish girl he married while he was over there. She sounds totally different than you, accent's pretty thick, but at least I can understand her. Mr. MacKenzie comes in here and I've no idea what he's sayin' most of the time. Anyway, the meatloaf ain't bad, and you can never go wrong with the burgers, the club sandwich is pretty dang good, and our fries are the best, but the real jewel in here are the pies." _

_The young woman seems to radiate sunshine and warmth, and it has Peggy slow blinking up at her. Her smile is genuine, not just put on for better tips, and Peggy almost finds it startling. She watches as Angie moves behind the counter to fetch the coffee pot and returns. _

"_Are you even allowed to have coffee, English?" Angie teases as she turns over the coffee cup already on the table. "I mean, with you being a Brit and all." _

_It takes a moment for Peggy to snap out of whatever trance the energetic and friendly woman had her in. She smirks up at her, "Those of us living in the U.S. are given special permission, seeing as how most Anericans couldn't make a proper cup of tea to save their lives." _

_Angie laughed as she poured Peggy's coffee. "Yeah, I guess if it ain't iced we don't really get the whole tea thing." _

"_Iced?" Peggy gasped, a smile on her painted red lips. "Why would you ever do that to tea?" _

"_Not sure." Angie shrugged, returning Peggy's smile. "Must have something to do with those boys up in Boston dumpin' crates of it in the harbor in the middle of winter. I've known a couple knuckleheads from Boston, they're the type of stupid that would jump in and drink the water and like it." _

_Peggy couldn't help it, she laughed. She ordered the club sandwich and chips, err french fries, and read over her paper as she ate. She didn't even mind when Angie would stop at her table to check up on her or to say something random in passing. It normally bugged her to no end when waitresses or waiters constantly stopped at the table to check if everything was alright. One pretty much had to send up a faire to get the attention of a waitress in a caf back home. After she finished her meal Angie appeared to refill her coffee and place a slice of pie down in front of her. "Oh, I didn't…" _

"_Pie's on the house for vets." Angie said warmly. "So's the coffee. Charlie wasn't able to go over and fight, so he figures this is a good way to pay back those who could." _

_Once again Peggy found herself slow blinking up at the young woman. "How did you know I was a veteran?" _

"_I wasn't sure at first, what with you being English and all, but you got a military bearin' about you, and, well, the same look in your eyes I see in my brothers and the other fellas that come in here since gettin' back." Angie answers, her voice much softer than it had been during their enter exchange to this point. She smiles warmly at Peggy. "The pie and coffee is a thank you." _

_Peggy wasn't sure what surprised her more. Angie's ability to observe and read a person so easily, or her acknowledgement and validation of Peggy's service. "I think I should be the one thanking you, Angie." _

"_Na, you don't, English." Angie says sincerely. "You served in a war, I just brought you pie." _

"_You did far more than that." Peggy replied. "My name is Peggy by the way." _

_Angie's smile was bright and warm. "Well, it's nice to meetcha Peggy."_

* * *

"I went back to the L&L just about everyday after that." Peggy said softly as she brushed the hair from Natasha's slightly sweaty forehead.

"Can we go there sometime, Mummy?" Natasha asked through a huge yawn before snuggling down to let sleep finally claim her.

"It's been a long time since then my darling." Peggy replied. "I'm not sure if it's still there, but if it is, yes we'll go. We'll take Mama on date to the L&L when she gets home."

* * *

It became a part of Natasha's comfort rituals when she was sick, hurt, or feeling exceptionally vulnerable. She would cuddle with one of her mothers and ask them to tell her a story about them, taking comfort in the bond between the most important people in her life. When she had pneumonia her Ma told her about convincing Peggy to move into the Griffth with her, and how it was the first time she realized that Peggy was susceptible to her puppy dog eyes. When she's in the ER having her wrist set after breaking it during a gymnastic's competition her Ma tells her about the time she lied to some stupid men who thought Peggy had done something she would never do, while they waited on the doctor and nurse to cast her wrist. Even as she gets older, even now as a grown woman, the stories about her mothers are Natasha's favorites.

Peggy's reading glasses were perched low on her nose as she looked over the field reports trying to decide who to be more angry with. As it stood at that moment the bulk of her anger was divided between the enemy agent who shot her daughter, and the man who put her daughter in harm's way in the first place, well the rest being leftover for Natasha herself.

"You know at some point you're going to have to stop being mad at Fury." Natasha says from the hospital bed beside the chair her mother was sitting in.

"No, I don't." Peggy replied as she looked up over the rim of her glasses at her girl. This wasn't Natasha's first injury in the line of duty, that had been a knife wound that had barely missed her kidney. This was a gunshot wound in her lower abdomen. She would have a pretty nasty scar six or so inches to left of her belly button. "How are you feeling darling?"

"Like someone shot through me to get to their target." Natasha groaned softly.

"You still think the assassin was the one armed man you fought?" Peggy asked, closing the file folder with the reports and setting it aside before taking off her glasses.

Natasha really hoped she wasn't blushing because she'd done more than just fight that one armed man. "Yeah, I am." Deciding it would be best to get her mother off this particular topic, having already heard an ear full from Hill, she turned her head to look at her mother, blue-green eyes soft and wide. "Mum."

"Yes darling?" Peggy couldn't help but smile softly at the look she was getting.

"Tell me about you and Mama." Natasha said.

Peggy laughed as she reached out to brush at Natasha's red locks. "You've pretty much heard all of those stories, Nattie."

"Yeah, but I have a feeling you've had to leave out a lot of the details." Natasha replied. Reaching out with her free hand, the other one hindered by her IV and pulse monitor, she pressed her fingertip to the SHIELD pin on her mother's lapel. "I have one of these too now, so you don't have to hold back the details."

Reaching up Peggy took hold of her little girl's hand. "Did you have a particular story in mind, poppet?"

Natasha thought about it and said, "Tell me about the dream that sent you home to Ma. I like that one."

Peggy smiled, her hand still holding Natasha's and began, "I was still with the SSR back then, and I was sent to Los Angeles on a case. Though I was working the case on my own, I had help from Daniel Sousa a fellow SSR agent, and eventually a scientist named Jason Wilkes. Both of whom, I thought at the time, I might have fancied a bit." Peggy smiled at the way Natasha crinkled her nose, not pleased by the idea that Peggy could have possibly liked anyone not her Ma. "Of course I also had Uncle Jarvis with me, who was making some rather un Jarvis like decisions at the time because Ana had been hurt because of our working together. He and I ended up in a bit of trouble, and unconscious in the back of a truck."

Peggy still felt a twinge of guilt over that. Ana getting shot because of her and Jarvis is what had led to her not being able to have her own children. The guilt was bad enough that she couldn't look at Natasha for a moment. When she returned her focus back to her daughter she smiled and continued. "While I was out for the count I had the most vivid dream. I was back at the L&L, with Angie, and she kept asking me what I wanted. I had no bloody idea what I wanted. I found myself being pulled back and forth between Daniel and Jason as if the two were playing tug of war with me. It made me feel like some kind of prize to be won. But Angie, Angie kept cutting in and pulling me away from both of them and with her I felt, well, more like myself. Angie always made me feel like it was perfectly alright to be who I was, and she respected me for it."

Peggy paused again, looked into her daughter's blue-green eyes, and then admitted. "The dream helped me realize that what I wanted was Angie, but it wasn't what finally gave me the kick in the pants I needed to go after her. It would actually take me a bit longer to find my courage."

Natasha looked surprised. "It wasn't? But you always said…"

"As you said my darling I've left out some details along the way." Peggy smiled, squeezed Natasha's hand and then said. "After I wrapped up the L.A. case I turned down a request from Daniel to stay and help him run the L.A. office. I returned to New York, and the penthouse I shared with my best friend, but I'd barely had time to settle in before the same men who once thought me a traitor for helping Howard, were accusing me of war crimes. Off again I went, leaving Angie behind, to clear my name and find out what was going on, only to discover your Uncle Michael was alive. I had help along the way, only not from Jarvis this time." She paused for a moment, quickly weighing whether this was a good idea, and then continued. "This time I had help from Dottie Underwood." Peggy looked over at the file folder, the comments left by Maria Hill, and then back at her daughter. "Dottie and I had a very strange, very complicated, very complex relationship, and if not for her, I never would have had the courage to tell Angie how I felt about her."

* * *

"_Why are you staring at me again?" Peggy groaned out as she tried not to visibly shiver as they hid in a long abandoned guard post several miles away from where they needed to be. She was so close to finding Michael she could almost feel him. But the weather had turned even more fowl, and until the snow storm passed they were stuck. _

"_For the same reason I always stare." Dottie Underwood replied with a roll of her eyes. "You fascinate me Peggy Carter." _

_Peggy groaned. _

"_I'm curious about something, Peggy." Dottie says as she inches closer to the other woman. _

_Peggy rolled her eyes. "Of course you are. What is it?" _

_With lightning quick reflexes Dottie surges forward and kisses Peggy until she's pushed away. _

"_What the blood hell!" Peggy yells, eyes wide as she quickly wipes at her mouth in case she's been poisoned once again. _

_Dottie sits back and smiles brightly, her eyes dancing with myrrh. "Not including me, how many girls have you kissed Peggy?" _

"_What?" Peggy sputteres, still waiting for the woozy to set in but it never comes. "What the hell is wrong with you!" _

"_Oh please." Dottie waves away Peggy's indignation. "I know a violet when I see one, Peggy. There's no need to pretend with me. I know you." _

"_You know nothing about me!" Peggy says angrily, glaring daggers at the tall blonde who was so close she could smell her sweat. _

_Dottie presses forward once again and kisses Peggy hard only to be pushed away again. _

"_Stop that!" Peggy demands. _

"_Make me." Dottie smirks. _

_Peggy's intentions are to fight. To be honest she'd been looking for a knock down drag out fight since her reputation had once again come under fire, she was driven away from her home, her friends, Angie, only to discover that her brother had been captured, tortured, and experimented on by the Russians. Dottie was an excellent source to take her pent up anger out on. Only when everything that she'd bottled up came raging out, it wasn't a fight she found herself in the middle of. She managed to get in a really good punch, but then Dottie grabbed her wrist, they wrestled for the upper hand, and then they were kissing again. Peggy wasn't sure which of them started it. She hadn't been with a woman since before Steve, and she hadn't been with anyone at all since Steve. Peggy had a hell of a lot of steam to blow off. _

"_Feel better?" Dottie asked afterwards as she wiped blood from her lip, before once again sucking on her own fingers. Peggy's response was to glare as she pulled her clothes back on. "Well, I do." Dottie smirked that twisted smirk that was only meant for Peggy. "Angie really has no idea what she's missing out on, not that I can imagine you being quite so rough with her. I suppose sex is differant when you love the person rather than loathing them." _

"_You need to stop talking." Peggy hissed at the other woman. Her breath was finally evening out, but her pale skin was still flushed, and her hair was a mess. _

_Dottie raised an eyebrow and then burst into laughter. "Oh Peggy, dear heart, what upsets you more? The fact that I know you're in love with Miss Martinelli? Or my implying she may feel the same way? Like I said, Peg, I know a violet when I see one, and honey, she's a true violet."_

* * *

Natasha stared at her mother in disbelief. She wasn't sure which part of that story had her more dumbfounded, that her mother had had an affair with her birth mother, or that her mother had slept with an adversary. Peggy had been reading files when she'd woken up, had Hill ratted her out? Was that why the story had shifted from her musical number dream, to her confession?

"It would still take more time than it should have for Angie and me to connect that way." Peggy continued. "There was Michael's recovery, and Howard and I creating SHIELD, and a near death experience before I managed to find the courage to open myself up to her so completely."

"She came home with a fresh, bleedin' all over the damn place bullet wound and the biggest bouquet of violets I've ever seen." Angie said from where she stood near the door. "Told me that she hoped I wouldn't hate her for sayin' it, and that she hoped she wasn't wrong about it all, and then told me she was in love with me before she passed out on the hallway rug."

Natasha jumped, having not noticed her Ma come into the room, and then moaned in pain. "Ow. ow, ow."

"Easy angel." Angie said as she came over to offer her child comfort. Then she looked over at Peggy and shook her head with a smirk. "Was now the best time to traumatize our child with tales of your scandloius sex life?"

"I didn't go into details, dear." Peggy replied with a smirk. "Some secrets are meant to be kept."


	7. Chapter 7

A's note: Just a reminder that I have jumbled and smashed together the timeline, so things are going to happen out of sink with the actual mcu :-D So with that said...

* * *

Wolves at the Door

There were wolves at the door. HYDRA was trying to infiltrate SHIELD and Natasha Carter would be damned if they succeed. She'd been on the hunt since Belarus, tracking down leads, looking for the heart of the monster to slay it. She got a bit distracted by the Battle of New York, but now she was back at it. There was information on a ship that she needed, but that ship was full of pirates and hostages. She would need back up, back up that couldn't know the real reason she was there. They had to be careful of who they trusted, keeping the need to know circle as small as possible. The part of Natasha trained by Nick Fury knew what needed to be done and was willing to do it. The part of Natasha raised by Peggy Carter really hated lying to Steve Rogers. The part of Natasha that was the Black Widow was getting really tired of Captain American trying to save her when she didn't need saving. She understood why he was doing it, she was her mother's daughter and he was trying to protect her for Peggy's sake, but it was really starting to piss her off.

"You have to stop doing that!" She yelled at him once they were alone on the quinjet. "If I actually need help that's one thing, but you have got to stop stepping in when I don't! I don't need to be bloody rescued, I'm not some helpless chick you know!"

"Natasha, I…"

"I was seventeen when Fury recruited me, Rogers." Natasha growled, poking her finger into the white star on his chest. "I am one of the best there is. I don't need you to babysit me or protect me out of some sense of obligation you think you have to my mother."

"Your mother never lied to me." Steve said heatedly. "What's on the drive, Natasha?"

She stared right into his eyes. "We don't know yet." It was an honest response. "You'll know if and when you need too." She was going to leave it at that but she just couldn't. She growled softly in the back of her throat as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she sighed and looked him in the eyes again. "It's for her, Steve, everything we're doing. It's for her."

Steve looked into her eyes for a long moment and then finally he simply nodded.

They went their separate ways when they got back. Natasha took the drive to Fury and then went back to her apartment. She checked in with her mothers, fed Goose, fell asleep in the bath, and had dinner with her neighbor and her neighbor's nephew. It would be the last peaceful night Natasha would have for awhile. Fury had been right about this cluster of information being the final piece to the puzzle, which set off a halestorm when he tried to access it. Natasha was in New York, Fury had been in D.C. so he'd gone to Steve who was living in D.C.. So apparently was Sharon, who'd been the one to call her in. HYDRA were after anyone that had that drive on them. Thankfully Fury was hard to kill. They needed a way to access the information without triggering whatever failsafe had led them to Fury. He passed the drive over to Natasha and Steve, knowing Natasha would figure it out and Steve would keep them safe.

Natasha has an idea about where to start, but she's going to need access to a computer, and cover to slip by whoever comes looking for them. Steve doesn't like it, it's putting civilians in harm's way, but Natasha insists, so they head to a mall. When they reached the Apple store she warned him they would have less than ten minutes before they had HYDRA on their asses and then plugged in the drive and got to work. Seeing Rumlow leading the team hunting them down turned Natasha's blood to fire. She wanted nothing more than to snatch the pistol at the small of her back and shoot the treacherous bastard right between the eyes. But that would have to wait, they needed to crack this wide open and they were on a time limit. She's able to break through the failsafe, cracking open the encryptions, and gains access to the files but they can't do much more than that here. Time to go.

"Kiss me." Natasha says as she turns to face Steve as they get on an escalator going down while Rumlow is coming up towards them.

His eyes go wide and he squeaks, "What?"

"Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable." Natasha says as she reaches for his face and draws him into a kiss. When they pull apart Steve's beat red, his blue eyes darting around as if he were expecting to be struck by lightning. She manages not to laugh as they make their way to the parking garage where Steve hotwires a pickup truck. She gets lost in her thoughts as Steve drives. Rumlow. Who else? Who else was out there laying in wait to bring down her mother's legacy? Whoever they were, their days were numbered. She would take each and every one of them down all on her own if she had too.

"Nat?" Steve said softly. "You alright?"

Natasha turned to look at him, his face showing her all of his concern, and she smiled. "I'm fine." She lied. She wasn't fine, but he didn't need to worry about that, worry about her. Besides, she didn't want to talk about it. "So, where did Captain America learn to hotwire a car?"

Steve actually laughed. "The war, your mother taught me."

Sensing that he was gearing up to ask her if she was alright again she decided to cut him off before he could get a word out. "Can I ask you a question? You don't have to answer, but if you don't I'll take it as a yes."

"I'm going to regret this." Steve groaned. "But go ahead."

"Was that your first kiss since waking up?" Natasha asked, not really thinking the question through. She just wanted a distraction. Steve blushed as red as the red on his shield and Natasha laughed.

"I know how to kiss just fine thank you!" Steve tried defending himself. "It's just that I shouldn't have been kissing YOU is all."

He was turning redder by the second and it suddenly hit Natasha, causing her eyes to go wide as she sat up straight and stared at him. "Oh my god!" She said. "Oh my god! The last woman you kissed was my mother wasn't it!?" If he got any redder he was going to have a heart attack. She laughed for a solid three minutes before finally saying, as she wiped away tears of laughter, "Oh Steve, we have got to get you a girl."

"The nurse next door seemed nice until I found out she was a secret SHIELD agent Fury planted to babysit me." Steve replied.

"Nope, nada, net, nein, non, no, absolutely not. Agent 13 is off limits to you, Rogers." Natasha said firmly, all signs of her earlier amusement gone. When Steve turned to look at her with a questioning look she explained, "Her name is Sharon, Sharon Carter, she's my Mum's niece."

Steve looked surprised. "Michael died in the war."

Natasha shook her head. "The Russians developed two programs to try and come up with their own super soldiers. The Red Room trained women to be lethal weapons, while the Red Guardians program tried to turn men into, well, you. Uncle Michael was captured and used as a lab rat. They were never able to create the serum, but they did eventually perfect brainwashing techniques that they tested out on him first. Mum rescued him, and thankfully he was able to be deprogrammed and treated. Things were good for him until the cancer." Bitterness crept into Natasha's voice as she turned to look out the window. "He survised Russian torture and brainwashing only to be taken out by cancer."

"I'm sorry, Nat." Steve replied.

Her anger and bitterness wasn't just about the way she lost her uncle. It was more about how much her mother had already lost, and now there were people wanting to take even more from her? To take SHIELD from her? SHIELD was her mother's life! Her legacy! Natasha took a deep breath and pressed her forehead to the window. She had to stop letting herself get so mad over this, at least until she had someone she could rage out on. For now she needed to stay focused, but it wasn't easy.

It was strange being in Camp Lehigh. It was the setting for so many of the stories she'd heard growing up about the boy whose body wasn't big enough for his massive heart and incredible bravery. Now is was run down, a forgotten relic, and she was walking around the ghostly grounds with that boy whose heart was still to big despite the physical upgrade. When they found the hidden base beneath the base Natasha was thrown right back into why they were here. "This must have been their first base." She said as they passed the all too familiar eagle on the wall. "Where Mum and Uncle Howard started SHIELD."

Their pictures hung on the wall. The fact that her Uncle's was bigger than Phillips' and her mother's made Natasha smile. Howard was a flawed man, he could have done better by Tony for sure, but she still missed him. "They started all of this in your memory you know. She wanted to save the world because it's what you would have done."

"I know." Steve said as he walked over to stand beside her. It was his Peggy in the picture, the way he remembered her, but Natasha saw the woman who had taken her in, had raised her as her own, and who loved her unconditionally. And yet Steve was beginning to wonder if Natasha fully understood who mattered more to Peggy; what that symbol on the wall stood for, or the red headed young woman staring at her picture. "She told me that I was the reason she started, but that you and Angie are the reasons she continued. She wanted to protect and save the world because it's what I would have done, but she wanted to make it a better place because you and Angie were in it." He put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "We won't let SHIELD fall, Nat. Whoever is at the top of this new HYDRA, we'll take them down. You don't have to do this alone, Natasha. Peggy doesn't expect you to do it alone, or at the cost of you getting hurt along the way, you know that don't you?"

"You just said it yourself, Steve, she gave so much to SHIELD for me." Natasha said as she began walking away. "I'm going to protect it for her, no matter what."

They were able to locate a secret room, in the secret base, under the old base, with just what Natasha was hoping for. A self contained computer system that HYDRA wouldn't be able to trace, and the equipment to recreate the files on the drive. Pulling a few 'borrowed' items from the pockets of her hoodie she set to work on slicing a USB port into the old tech. When Steve crossed his arms and gave her a look she shrugged. "I borrowed it." She said, mocking his intention of returning the 'borrowed' pickup truck. "I use to help Tony when we were kids." She explained as she used a pocket knife to remove covering from wires she then twisted together. "I had tiny fingers, made it easier to get at the tight spots in his robot builds."

"You two are so different." Steve said as he watched. "It's hard to picture you together as kids." He chuckled. "It's kind of hard to picture Tony as a kid at all."

"It's why we work so well together." Natasha replied. "We balanced each other out, except for the times when we tilted each other more one way, usually which every way the trouble was in, but thankfully we had Sharon to even things out again when that happened."

"You know when he finishes rebuilding the Tower he wants us all to move in together." Steve didn't think that was a good idea.

"I know." Natasha replied. "He tends to get overly excited when people actually like him and he makes friends, so he's basically building a giant clubhouse to keep us around."

After retrieving the information on the drive and turning it all into hard copies, the pair needed a place to lay low until they could get in touch with Fury and set up a rendezvous. Steve took them to Sam Wilson, who he vouched for without hesitation. Natasha had a feeling Steve wanted help keeping an eye on her now that she had names. She was insulted. Did he really think she was going to go off by herself to kill Alexander Pierce? Of course she wasn't. At least, not until she knew his plan, and why he was doing this. In order to do that she needed to get close to him, and who better to know how to do that than his little pet weasel.

Sitwell trembled on the edge of the ledge as he laughed nervously. "You're not going to drop me over the edge, Captain. That's not your style."

"No, you're right." Steve said with a nod. "It's not my style, but it is hers."

Natasha slammed her boot into Sitwell's chest so hard she bruised ribs for sure, maybe even cracked one. She and Steve chatted a bit, she rattled a few names off for date possibilities. "Lillian from accounting would be a good first time out. She's sweet, not to scary."

"She has a lip piercing." Steve replied.

"Yeah? And?" Natasha teased. "My belly button is pierced." And just because she felt like messing with him. "And that's just the one I can tell you about that won't make you blush, or get back to my Mum that I have."

Steve blushed anyway.

"Ok, so, what about, oh, Emily in research." Natasha nodded her approval at that one. "She's a Brooklyn girl, her grandfather played for the Dodgers before they turned traitor and moved out west."

Steve slapped his hand to his chest and playfully winced as if in pain. "Oh, too soon, Carter, to soon. I'm not ready to deal with the Dodgers betrayal yet."

The casual conversation was cut short when Sam tossed Sitwell onto the ground at their feet. He sang like a little bird. There was going to be an attack using overpowered helicarriers carried out in the name of SHIELD. SHIELD would become public enemy number one, and Pierce would step in with a new agency, one under his control, to clean up and regain order. HYDRA. As for Pierce's reasons why he was doing this, pure and simple, he hated Peggy Carter. She'd been a thorn in his, and so many other 'ambitious' men's side their whole careers. With this plan, not only would SHIELD itself go under, but Peggy Carter could face charges or at the very least be utterly disgraced. When Natasha had enough of Sitwell bad mouthing her mother she punched him hard in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Guess she really doesn't like it when people talk about her boss, huh?" Sam said as they watched Natasha storm off.

Steve trusted Sam, and he believed Natasha did too so he said, "Peggy Carter is her mother."

"Ah." Sam said as he and Steve picked up the unconscious Sitwell. "Guess dude is lucky it was just a fist to the face than."

They would need to get Sitwell someplace safe. He was a coward who would sing to save his own skin when the trials started. Natasha had finally heard from Hill, so the two set up a place to take their little weasel for safe keeping. But when Rumlow came up short on finding them, Pierce had called in a favor. There was a thump on the roof and before Natasha could even think of reacting Stilwell was pulled out of the car and thrown right into the grill of an oncoming semi-truck, which splattered his body all over the bridge they'd been crossing. Pulling her gun from her boot she dove into Steve's lap in the front seat, just as bullets rained down through the roof of the car. She raised her gun and fired back, while instinctively pulling Steve's head away from the flying bullets. When she realized that by pulling his head forward, his face was now in her chest, she couldn't help but laugh. "We should probably never tell my Mum about the things we get up to on missions together."

"Really Nat?" Steve replied as he grabbed the handbrake, sending their attacker flying over the hood. "Now doesn't seem like the best time to be teasing me."

"Stop being such a stick in the mud, Rogers." Natasha smiles. "Have a little fun once in awhile." The sound of scraping metal on the concrete makes her turn her head and look out the windshield, but before anyone can comment they're rear ended. Everything happens so fast after that, that Natasha doesn't have a moment to think until after she's slid across the pavement in Steve's arms as he uses his shield as a sled. The masked man with the silver arm has Rumlow's team with him, the mercenaries he'd had at the mall. Steve is blown off the bridge, and she and Sam are pinned down by machine gun fire. This kind of violence happening in a public space would get back to SHIELD quickly enough, she just hoped the right people got the report. Until then Natasha had to do her best to keep civilians safe, and the best way to do that was to draw the people with the guns away. She ordered Sam to focus on the mercenaries, while she got the big guy's attention.

She nails him right in the eye with one of her shots, but his goggles are bulletproof. "I should get a pair of those." She mutters to herself before she takes off running. It isn't until they're fighting hand to hand, with his goggles now removed, that Natasha realizes who it is she's fighting. "It's been awhile handsome." She quips while trying to strangle him with her thighs. "The shiny new arm is cool."

Apparently he'd rather throw her several feet than talk. Luckily for her Steve was there to catch her. "You know him?"

"Youthful indiscretion." She replies with a shrug while slipping one of the electro-shock disks Tony had made for her from her sleeve. She throws it at the assassin's metal arm, which instantly begins to spark, giving her and Steve time to run. They don't get as far as they'd hoped. The bullet goes clean through her shoulder, same side of the body where he'd shot her last time, the bastard! She stumbles in her run, stopping to find cover behind a car. Suddenly Steve's there, blocking another shot with his shield and then the two men are fighting. Natasha goes for the weapon the assassin dropped in order to fight Steve hand to hand, she can hear the fight as she moves into a better position, she hears the fight suddenly stop and Steve's voice.

"Bucky?"

She hesitates for half a second, why did that name sound familiar? Then Sam flies in, knocking Steve clear, and she fires a rocket at the assassin. For just a couple of seconds the three of them stand there breathing hard, and then a hummer pulls up and Maria Hill rolls down a window. "Get in!"

Hill takes them to one of Fury's hiddy-holes. Steve orders that Natasha be taken to medical as soon as they're inside, but she refuses. She asks for HIll's help shedding her jacket, and cutting away her undershirt. She'd bound some of the files to herself, hidden under her clothes, and the rest she'd hidden on Steve and Sam in the same manner. That way if one of them were compromised, then at least some of the info would still get back to Fury. "Fury needs these."

"You need to stop bleeding all over the place." Sam replied, looking anywhere but at the redhead in her black bra.

"What this?" Natasha looks at the field patch over the wound in her shoulder, a huge red stain in the middle of it. "Just a scratch."

"Whoo, girl, you are intense." Sam said with a shake of his head.

Natasha laughs. Once Hill has the information for Fury, she finally agrees to go to medical, but before she goes she asks, "Hey Maria, just in case some of that ends up on the net or news feeds, will you let the old lady know I'm alright?"

"One of these days, she's going to find out that you and Fury have codenamed her the old lady, and I'm going to sell tickets to her kicking your asses, and be as rich as Stark." Maria teased while nodding that she would make sure Peggy knew she was ok.

By the time Natasha rejoined everyone they were already neck deep in going through the intel. Her gaze went straight to Fury, surprised to see her mentor sitting there looking hurt. "Nick?"

Fury throws down the picture of Pierce he'd been staring at. "Bastard worked with my father. Pops actually called him a friend. I remember he used to say that peace isn't an achievement, it's a responsibility." He shook his head again. "See, this shit is why I have trust issues. Now I gotta go and figure out why my old man was friends with a snake in the grass like this asshole."

There were pictures, reports, and even copies of old new clippings scattered out all over the table. Natasha's gaze raked over it all until it landed on something familiar. Reaching for the file she began to look at it in detail. The newspaper headline read, 'Howard and Maria Stark Die in Car Accident.' what followed were copies of the real autopsy reports, and stills taken from a videotape time stamped Dec. 16th. Fury, Hill, Sam and Steve are still talking, but it's nothing but an annoying buzzing in the back of her head, except when Steve says the name Bucky. That send shivers down her spin like nails on a chalkboard because she's looking at pictures of the man they just fought murder her godfather and aunt.

"Nat?" Steve's voice calls out. Natasha has gone pale and she's trembling badly. "Natasha?" He reaches for her, but Fury stops him. The other man shakes his head and Steve glares at him.

"Give her a second, son." Fury tells the man gently. "You touch her right now and we'll finally find out who wins the Black Widow vs Captain American bet pool."

"We thought he was drunk." Natasha says when she finally speaks. Tears welled in her eyes and were starting to spill down cheeks flushed red with anger. "All these years we thought Uncle Howard was drunk that night. Tony's spent all this time blaming his father for killing his mother, hating him for taking her away from him. But it wasn't him, it wasn't Uncle Howard's fault."

"He's known as the Winter Soldier." Fury says as he steps up beside Natasha, laying his hand on her shoulder, and gently pulling her against his body. "He's been at the top of our most wanted list for years, but he's a ghost, a myth. The Russians used him in the beginning, but after the Cold War, they started renting him out to the highest bidder. Howard Stark had a long ass list of people who wanted him out of the way. We were never able to tie the hit to anyone in particular, but people had their suspicions." He paused for a moment and then continues. "Tony was suppose to be in that car that night, it was meant to be a hit on all the Starks."

Natasha went rigid. "They'd gone to a charity dinner that night. Tony was expected to show up to those when he wasn't in school. He was expected to smile and be charming, the perfect Stark heir on display. But he and Uncle Howard had gotten into a fight over the holidays, and he refused to go."

"The old lady was pretty sure she knew who had done it." Fury says carefully. "Spent years trying to prove it."

"The person who would benefit the most from all the Starks being dead was Obadiah Stane." Natasha said. Her mother knew. Of course her mother knew. She let them think Uncle Howard did this, let Tony blame him. "He was 17, Tony, he was only 17, so Mum became his legal guardian. She hired a full time bodyguard for him, he hated it, hated her for it for a little while. Tony was a mess for a long time, Stane must have figured he was too broken afterwards, so why bother with him."

"When Stark did become an issue, Stane tried again." Fury continued. "I'd hoped to use Stane to get a lead on the Winter Soldier, but we all know how that ended."

"Not all of us." Sam muttered.

"It ended with Iron Man." Natasha said as she threw the file on the table and pulled away from Fury, stronger and more steady on her feet now. She looked into Fury's eye and said, "Let's finish this, and when SHIELD is safe, when my mother's legacy is safe. The Winter Soldier is mine."

Fury nodded. "Let's get to work."

"Natasha." Steve stepped into her personal space as soon as Fury left her side. "I'm sorry about Howard, about his wife…" He dropped his head. "He was a good man, and my friend." He looked up at her. "The Winter Soldier, he's…"

"James Barnes." Natasha said. "It took a minute for me to remember why Bucky sounded familiar, was kind of busy trying not to bleed out from him shooting me in the shoulder, he was a Howling Commando, I've heard the stories."

"So when you said you wanted his case, you meant you want to help me find him, rescue him, right?" Steve asked.

Natasha picked up the picture of the Winter Soldier with his hand around her aunt's throat and shoved it in Steve's face. "Not what I meant at all, Captain."

She would need to tell Tony the truth, she needed to talk to her mother about all of this, but that would all have to wait. Natasha focused on SHIELD, HYDRA, and the mission at hand. Steve and Sam would take out the hidden hellicarries, while Hill coordinated the take down teams. Sharon was already positioned inside the Triskelion, which is where Rumlow was last reported. Natasha was a little jealous she wouldn't be the one taking him out, but she had her own target. Alexander Pierce.

Men like Pierce were cocky, arrogant, and couldn't help but strut like peacocks when they think they're about to get everything they ever wanted. He'd invited the World Security Council to meet face to face right there in the Triskelion, giving them a front row seat to SHIELD's pending betrayal, and if one or two of them died in the process, well that's just more incentive to demolish SHIELD and put his agency in charge. When it came to a mission Natasha had all the patience she needed to see it successfully completed, but laying in wait, listening to Pierce build the tension before he tried to kill her mother's legacy, was twisting her stomach and she wasn't sure how much longer she could wait.

The timing had to be perfect. Cut one head off, two will grow in its place. The way Hercules solved this problem was to have someone cauterizing the monster's necks as he cut off each head, but Hercules only had his nephew to help. SHIELD would act with precision, taking each head down and burning the neck all at the same time, leaving the heart of the monster open and vulnerable.

In the main control room Agent 13 watched Agent Rumlow closely. He was getting antsy as his gaze darted all over the maps tracking active SHIELD aircraft.

"Why haven't the refitted helicarriers been launched?" Rumlow finally demands.

The nervous tech tapped at his keyboard. "I… I don't know, Sir."

"Well find out!" Rumlow demands. "And get those carries in the air! Now!"

"Is there a problem Agent Rumlow?" Sharon asks the man calmly.

He shoots her a look. "Not your concern, Agent 13."

"I'm the commanding agent on duty." She replied. "So it is my concern, Agent Rumlow."

"Sirs!" The tech squeaks out as warning lights start going off. "The refits, all of them, they're shutting down, going completely offline. They're under lockdown."

"Lockdown?" Rumlow growls. "Under whose orders?" The tech sputters and Rumlow draws his weapon, pressing it to the man's head. "Under whose orders?"

"Dir...di..rctor..." The man stutters.

Sharon draws her side arm just as Rumlow does, pressing it to the side of his head. "Drop the gun you treacherous, hydra fucking, bastard."

Rumlow tenses for a moment and then laughs low in his chest. "You're on the wrong side of victory on this one Agent 13."

"Carter." Sharon replied with a smirk, wanting the man to know who was taking him and HYDRA down. "My name, is Agent Sharon Carter."

Rumlow lowers his arm, and slowly turns to look at her. "You the daughter?"

"Niece." Sharon answers just as his gun hits the floor. He draws his knife, slices her arm, and the fight is on.

From the shadows Natasha watched as Pierce pressed his thumb to his phone screen. She smirked at the look on his face, the confusion when nothing happened, the anger that came next. One of the council members asked if he was alright, and Pierce replied he was, there was just a bit of a snag which he would need to take care of himself. That's when he took a sidearm off the guard to his left. Thankfully Natasha didn't have to wait any longer. She easily disarmed Pierce, and took out his men. With her weapon trained on Pierce she deactivated her disguise and smiled, "Oh, sorry, am I making that snag of yours worse?"

"Agent Romanoff, how lovely to see you." Pierce replied, not even trying to hide the fact that he was a bit dumbfounded by the turn of events.

Natasha rolled her eyes without taking her gaze from Pierce or Rockwell. She drew a second weapon which she pointed at Rockwell. "Mr. Singh, Mr. Yen, if you two would step over there, please. Rockwell, stay where you are."

"What is going on here?" Rockwell demanded.

"Didn't you know, Rockwell?" Fury said as he walked into the room with a huge grin on his face. "It's HYDRA hunting season."

Every screen in the room suddenly began scrolling through the evidence linking Pierce, Rockwell, Gideon Malick, and even Senator Stern to HYDRA.

"It's takin' years, and a whole lot of moves in this game between us, but we finally have checkmate, you sons of bitches." Fury laughed.

Pierce responded by killing Singh, Yen, and even Rockwell by using the name badges he'd given them upon their arrival. Just like many other men he overlooked the woman in the room, trying to skirt past Fury. He didn't even spare her a second thought until the bottom of her boots were slamming into his chest, and he was being dragged into a chair. With her own weapon and Fury's now trained on Pierce, she leaned down and smiled as she said, "Oh, we can't let you leave yet. Someone has some questions for you and we've been ordered to keep you here."

Pierce's jaw twitched, the struggle to look away from the Black Widow was real, his heart rate spiking, the vein in his neck pulsing. He forced himself to look away from her and over to Fury, who was sitting at the conference table with his feet up. "And just who gives Director Fury orders these days?"

Fury smiled as a helicopter landed outside the windows behind him. He watched Pierce shift his gaze just over his shoulder to watch, to see who was disembarking. He took a great amount of joy in watching the other man's face twist when he realized who it was. "She does."

Pierce shot to his feet as she entered the room and growled. "Carter."

"Hello Alexander." Peggy replied coldly. "This has been a long time coming."

"Yes, Margaret, I suppose it has been." Pierce replied as he glared at the woman standing at the other end of the table.

"Did you honestly think you could bring down SHIELD once I was gone?" Peggy asked. "That it would be easy as pie once your Carter problem was out of the way? Too bad you didn't realize your Carter problem was bigger than you thought."

"Clearly." Pierce gripped. "You never actually left, you've been pulling Fury's strings this whole time, I should have known."

"Oh, no, Alexander, I really did retire. I promised my wife I would, had a bet with her actually, but more than that I actually love and respect my wife." She taunted. "How many mistresses have you had this year alone? Six?" She heard Fury snort and could feel Natasha watching her.

"This legacy of yours won't last Margaret." Pierce warned, his eyes trained on her. "If not HYDRA than someone else will take it down brick by brick and you will watch it burn."

Peggy hummed softly as she came to a stop just a few feet away from him. "SHIELD is my life's work, yes, but my legacy is it not. No, my true legacy is what protected SHIELD from you, my true legacy is who brought you down, Alexander dear."

"What are you talking about?" Pierce demanded.

"All these years we've worked together Alexander, have I never introduced you to my daughter?" Peggy smirked, a dangerous kind of smirk. "Oh, my apologies. Alexander Pierce, I would very much like for you to meet Natasha Carter."

"Hi." Natasha replied with a wave of her free hand.

"Oh and while we're at it," Peggy continued as Sharon, bloody, and covered in soot, walked in. "You should meet my niece Sharon as well, though she is a bit worse for wear it would seem. Alright darling?"

Sharon nodded. "Rumlow's been apprehended, if he survives his injuries, terminated if he doesn't. Hill reports all teams have checked in, all targets apprehended or eliminated."

"Splend!" Peggy replied, turning back to Pierce. "Do you see now Alexander? You're Carter problem never left, it doubled."

It was the coward's way out but he wasn't going down for this, he wasn't getting taken out by that insufferable woman. "Agent Romanoff, or Carter, or whoever the hell you are, you're still wearing Hawley's name tag I see. Good." Snatching his phone from the table he held it up so the others could see his thumb hover over the screen. "You my dear are going to help me walk out of this place, and your mother is going to watch, or I'm going to blow a nice sized hole in your chest right where your heart is."

"Yeah, no, I don't think so." Natasha said while activating the electro-shock disk in her hand.

Pierce watched the girl fall, surprised and confused, until he felt the heat in his chest. He didn't even fully register the sound, but there were three holes in his chest quickly soaking his shirt red. When he looked up, he'd expected to see Fury standing with weapon raised, he'd been the only one other than the Black Widow who'd had one. But no, the gun aimed at his chest still smoking from the barrel was held in Peggy Carter's hand. The last thing he saw was Peggy Carter's wrath and rage, compared to that hell would be easily suffered.

"Natasha!" Peggy called out as she rushed to her daughter's side, dropping to the floor beside her. "Natasha!"

Fury was right behind her. "Nat, wake up! Girl, don't get me killed alongside that mother fucker."

Peggy held her daughter's face in her hands. "Natasha, come on darling."

"Ow." Natasha moaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Those things really do sting."

In that moment all Peggy could do was laugh as she helped her daughter to sit up. "Are you alright?" She asked, and when Natasha nodded she turned to Sharon. "And you?"

"I'll be fine Aunt Peggy." Sharon replied, hiding her blood soaked sleeve behind her back.

Fury laughed as he leaned back to sit on the edge of the table and shook his head. "After this, any more wolves try to get up in this hen house, are out of their goddamn minds."

"Those are foxes, Nicolas dear, foxes raid hen houses." Peggy smiles warmly as she helps Natasha to her feet. "Not wolves."

SHIELD was safe, the new HYDRA defeated, but there was a lot of damage left it's wake. Damage to her family, her friendships. Fury had asked her if she were really ready to handle what this whole operation might end up doing to them when she first got involved, and Natasha had said yes. But now, standing in the aftermath of it all, the discoveries she'd made weighing on her shoulders, Natasha wasn't so sure.

"Darling are you alright?" Peggy asked as she watched her daughter closely, her concern growing with each tick of the clock. "Do we need to follow Sharon and the medic to medical?"

"No, Mum, no I'm not alright. I'm far from alright." Natasha answered. Looking into her mother's eyes, Natasha put as much steel in her voice she could. "We need to talk about Uncle Howard and the Winter Soldier."


	8. Chapter 8

Fallout

Natasha Carter couldn't remember ever being this angry or hurt when it came to one of her mothers. She couldn't remember fighting with one of them the way she and Peggy were fighting now, an all out screaming match that's lasted almost a solid hour. Sure there had been the typical fights between mothers and daughter when she was a teenager, the kinds of fights that came from the teen wanting to be grown and her mothers wanting her to remain a child for just a little while longer. But this, this was different, deep down under all of her hurt, anger, and confusion, Natasha was actually scaring herself with the why she was yelling at her Mum in the middle of the living room of their faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn. Without the focus of the mission to distract her, Natasha's emotions over finding out her godfather and aunt were murdered had become a runaway freight train and she felt powerless to stop it.

"You knew!" Natasha yelled, repeating the one thing that kept running through her mind. Peggy had known all along how Howard and Maria Stark had died. "All these years, decades, you knew and you let Tony blame Uncle Howard for it! Do you know how much of Tony's hate and resentment for his father is because he blames Howard for killing his mother!"

"Of course I know!" Peggy yelled back, just as rattled by the fact that she and her daughter were having a screaming match. This whole situation was twisting Peggy up inside, but she was too stubborn to take a step back and try to defuse it. She understood the way Natasha was feeling, the pain of it all, and she knew Tony would feel just as betrayed, and it was killing her inside. But she had made the right call, and she was standing by her choices.

"Then why didn't you tell us!" Natasha demanded.

"He was only a boy! I was protecting him!" Peggy replied, and then took a deep breath and evened out her voice to less of yell, but still kept her hard as steel tone. "Tony didn't know SHIELD even existed when it happened, I couldn't explain it to him then, and after he became Iron Man, with the way he was behaving, I couldn't risk him going out on some revenge rampage that would lead to him getting killed!"

"And what about me?" Came Natasha's next demand. "I've been with SHIELD since I was seventeen, I've had the proper clearance for years, why not tell me?"

"I couldn't put you in that position, Natasha." Peggy answered. "I couldn't ask you to keep this a secret from Tony."

Hurt flashed in Natasha's eyes and across her face. "You didn't trust me. You thought I'd go straight to Tony and tell him, didn't you?" She snorted bitterly. "Ok, fine, but don't you think maybe you should have told me I was sleeping with the man who murdered my aunt and uncle?"

Peggy's dark eyes widened a little as she asked, "That happened once, Natasha. It only happened once, didn't it?"

"I don't know if Fury's gotten around to telling you since he's busy cleaning up the HYDRA op, but we identified the Winter Soldier." Natasha replied instead of answering her mother's question. The fact that her mother didn't trust her hurt more than anything, a hurt she found hard to bare alone. She looked hard into her mother's eyes for a moment, and then her watch sounded an alarm, causing her to look away. It was an Avengers alert. Tony was calling them in, she needed to go. Looking up at her mother, she said, "The Winter Soldier is James Barnes."

"Bucky?" Peggy gasped, her eyes wider than they'd been a moment before. She stood there, shell shocked, until Natasha turned away from her and started to walk away. "Natasha, we are not finished!"

"Avengers business." Natasha replied and then added, "Tony needs me."

"Natasha!" Peggy called after her angry child. "Natasha!"

Natasha slammed the door behind her and when Peggy heard the squeal of her daughter's Corvette as she drove off, she finally let herself give in to the searing burn in her eyes. She stood there in the living room of her home trembling, tears welling and rolling freely down her cheeks. She always knew that if this ever came out into the light of day it would be bad, but nothing she could have ever imagined and tried to prepare for could come close to the way she felt as her daughter glared at her that way.

The top of Stark Tower had been shrouded for weeks behind blacked out scaffolding as the last of the repairs were made to the building following the heavy damage it had taken during the Battle of New York. Tony had been putting in more effort into getting the rest of the city cleaned up and rebuilt, leaving his tower in the sky as a side project of sorts. As the building came into view ahead of her she noticed that the scaffolding seemed to be gone, and as she grew closer and closer she could see that the giant STARK that had once graced the top had been replaced by an even bigger encircled letter A. If Natasha were in a better frame of mind she would have laughed. Tony had made them a logo, which meant she'd bet anyone that her uniforms had a new patch on them.

Tony was in a really good place right now. He and Pepper were solid. The company was thriving at the top because of Pepper's leadership, which meant Tony was free to devote his non-Avengers time to R&D that would help make real positive change in the world. Tony was learning how to be on a team and play well with others, and was really proud of being an Avenger. He was over the moon that they were working together, "The work the old man did with Aunt Peggy, now that's something I can be proud of him for." He'd once told her. Natasha leaned back against the elevator wall and brushed the back of her sleeve over her eyes. It felt like she had a boulder in the pit of her stomach and the closer she got to Tony, the heavier it became.

"Nattie!" Tony cheered as soon as the redhead stepped off the elevator and into the common area for the first time. Opening his arms wide he turned in a circle as if to show everything off all at once. "So? What do you think?"

Natasha blinked as she took it all in. It wasn't her first time in the tower, she had her own floor in the building itself, though she still preferred to live in Queen's. But it was her first time in this new section of the building. Tony had turned the entire upper part of the tower into Avengers HQ. "Do you think the A is big enough?"

"It's as big as Pepper would let me make it." Tony replied, giving her a big smile full of excitement and pride.

"So Pepper knows you've turned her home into a giant clubhouse for your superhero pals?" Natasha teased, though her tone of voice was lacking any kind of the jovial bite it normally would.

"Of course she does." Tony answered. "I just have to keep them out of the penthouse, that's our space, family only."

The way he smiled at her when he said that made Natasha want to cry. Though at this point she was fairly sure she was all out of tears. "Tony," She said softly as she closed the distance between them. "We need to talk."

"Sure Nattie," With her so close now he could see something was wrong. "What's the…"

"Tony?" Bruce Banner's voice called out with a hint of confusion.

"What's the problem?" Steve's voice added.

Tony's face splitting smile was back. "Finally! You're the last two to arrive! I've already showed Barton and Thor around, but that's ok, I love giving the grand tour! This trip will be you three."

Natasha caught Steve's eye, they hadn't really talked since they saved SHIELD from Alexander Pierce's new HYDRA. Apparently Steve didn't really appreciate Natasha's desire to kill the Winter Soldier. So after he looked away from her, and while Tony was distracted by his excitement, Natasha slipped away.

When Tony turned back to where Natasha had been he frowned. "Where'd Nattie go?" Then he shrugged it off. "Ah well, she knows her way around." Turning back to Steve and Bruce he clapped his hands. "Banner ol' pal wait until you seen the labs! And Cap, the gym has punching bags not even you can break!"

Tony showed off the upper levels with glee, and explained that each Avenger would have their own residential floor, which they could decorate any way they liked. "Make the place your home, or your home away from home." He'd told them. "These upper floors though, they're for everyone, and if you need anything just let Jarvis know and we'll add it."

"Are you sure that training room will hold the other guy?" Bruce asked, his uncertainty clear in his voice.

"We won't know until we try it out." Tony replied as they walked through the floor with the training rooms and gyms. "You said you wanted to try and find a balance with the big guy, now you have a safe place to do it."

"Tony," Steve said as they passed a wall of half windows. On the other side of the windows was a large room with shiny hardwood floors, an entire walls of mirrors, another wall had a high bar set into it, and there were other freestanding bars as well. "I understand the gymnastic gym, but a dance studio?"

Tony nodded. "I always have a professional level dance studio in my homes."

Bruce couldn't help but smirk. "You really don't seem the tights and tutu type, Tony."

"It's not for me." Tony said with a roll of his eyes, and then with a bit more firmness he added, "It's not for any of you guys either. It's a private space, and the only reason it's on a common floor is because this floor was better suited for it."

"So who's it for?" Steve asked curiously.

Tony indicated a figure in the corner of the room. She'd changed into a black leotard, well warned ballet slippers, and she'd sloppily braided her hair behind her back. She wasn't facing the mirrors or the windows, so she had no idea they were watching, in fact Tony was fairly sure she had her blue-green eyes closed. "Her."

Steve blinked. "Is that Natasha?"

"She's been dancing since she was like four or so." Tony explained as pride lit up his eyes and widened his smile. "She could have been a world renowned prima ballerina, or even an Olympic gymnast, she's that good."

"Why didn't she go that route?" Steve asked as they watched Natasha dance. She was beautiful, graceful, and it seemed even to a poor kid from Brooklyn that she was gifted. He couldn't imagine Peggy not wanting something safer like being a ballet dancer for her only child. So how did she end up an agent and not a ballerina?

"She's amazing." Bruce said with awe.

"Nat was raised to believe in having a purpose." Tony explained. "Dancing was only ever something she did for enjoyment and fun, she loves it. But it wasn't what made her feel she had a purpose." Something about the way Natasha was dancing had Tony asking Jarvis what she was dancing to. When the A.I. replied he hummed softly to himself. Natasha only ever danced to that piece of music when she was troubled about something she couldn't work through and was getting frustrated by it. Dancing helped her clear her mind and focus.

"Something wrong?" Steve asked, noticing the shift in Tony's features.

"No," Tony replied. "Unless she catches us watching her, then it won't be pretty. Jarvis, turn on the privacy glass around Nat's studio."

"Of course, Sir." The A.I. replied.

He would have to remind her that she could do that. "Alright, on to the next stop of the grand tour!"

They eventually made their way back to the common room where Tony got them all a drink to celebrate. Thor had gone off to do whatever it was that Thor did when he wasn't being an Avenger, but Barton had joined them. They were in the middle of a debate where Steve and Clint were talking about the skill it took to use their weapons of choice, while Tony and Bruce countered by explaining the science behind it all, when Jarvis interrupted.

"Pardon Sir," Jarvis' voice called out. "But you have a VIA guest."

Tony shot to his feet just as Bruce asked, "VIA?"

Tony was beaming as he said, "Very Important Aunt."

Peggy look haggard but she smiled as she stepped into the room. "Hello darling."

"Aunt Peggy!" Tony greeted joyfully before fully taking in the way his aunt looked. Seeing Peggy looking troubled on top of now Natasha had been dancing, he was suddenly flooded with concern. It didn't help that he could tell she'd been crying heavily, and his aunt simply didn't do that often. He could count the number of times he had seen her eyes like that on one hand with fingers left over. "What's wrong, Aunt Peggy?"

Before Peggy had the chance to answer Steve came up behind Tony. He noticed Peggy's clear upset as well and was just as worried. "Hi Peggy. Everything alright?"

"Hello Steve." Peggy greeted with a warm smile. "Agent Barton."

Clint nodded respectfully. "Ma'am."

Peggy noticed the fourth man in the room and raised an eyebrow. "And you must be Dr. Banner?"

Bruce nodded as he carefully approached the unfamiliar woman.

Stepping away from Tony Peggy closed the distance between herself and Bruce, holding out her hand in greeting. This wasn't want she came for, and in her current state of mind this was probably a bad idea, but she had wanted a word with the man since the first night her daughter woke up screaming following the helicarrier incident. "I've been wanting to make your acquaintance for awhile now, Dr. Banner. I'm Margaret Carter, former Director of SHIELD, but more importantly, I'm Natasha's mother."

Bruce blinked as he shook Peggy's hand. "Well, then it's an honor to meet you Director Carter. I have a great amount of respect for your daughter. She's rather remarkable."

"Yes, she is." Peggy agreed, smiling sweetly as she leaned in a bit closer and whispered so only Banner would hear her. "And if the Hulk ever threatens her life again the way he did on the helicarrier I will put him down hard myself, understood, Dr. Banner?"

"Y..yes..um..yes." Bruce replied, completely caught off guard and totally shook.

"Good." Peggy replied, letting go of the vice like grip she hand on the man's hand and walking back over to Tony. "If you gentlemen will excuse us, I need a private word with my godson." Lopping her arm around Tony's she said simply, "Anthony?"

"Yeah, sure, of course." Tony replied, wondering what the hell Aunt Peggy had said to Banner to make him turn the color of milk. "We'll go down to the penthouse."

"Is Natasha here, darling?" Peggy asked as they stepped onto the elevator. When Tony nodded she asked, "Would you have her join us please?"

"Sure Aunt Peggy," Tony replied before calling out. "Hey Jarvis, would you please ask Nattie to come to the penthouse?"

"Of course, Sir." Came the reply.

Peggy shivered, like Natasha, she found it a little unnerving to hear Edwin Jarvis' voice coming from nowhere. "Anthony if you ever turn me into something like that I will haunt you for the rest of your damn life."

Tony laughed nervously and made a mental note to change the voice pattern on his current F.R.I.D.A.Y project, maybe give it an Irish accent instead. "Yes Aunt Peggy."

While they waited on Natasha to join them Tony made a pot of tea. A life spent being raised by his Aunt Peggy and Jarvis meant he could actually do it properly. He didn't have the right kind of cookies on hand though, so he made Jarvis add some to the shopping list for next time. He was just handing Peggy a cup made just the way she liked it when the elevator doors opened and Natasha walked in wearing a Stark Industries sweatshirt over her leotard, her feet bare, and her ballet slippers in her hand. Natasha's face was flushed from dancing, but it seemed to redden more when she saw her mother. Tony looked between them and his heart sank into his stomach, which then plummeted to his feet like a stone.

"Mum." Natasha said curtly.

"Natasha come sit down." Peggy ordered. "We all need to talk."

"We should have talked a long time ago." Natasha said angrily.

Peggy sighed and nodded. "Yes, we should have."

Steve was in the building, and Natasha knew he didn't want Tony to know the truth. "Jarvis."

"Yes Ms. Carter?" Replied the A.I.

Peggy flinched a bit hearing her name said in that voice again. It had been such a long time since she'd heard it.

"Lock down the penthouse." Natasha ordered. "No one allowed in expect Pepper."

"Yes Ms. Carter." Came the response.

Tony's dark eyes shot back and forth between his aunt and his cousin with growing concern. "What's going on?"

Peggy set her tea aside and turned so she was facing Tony. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then reached out for her godson's hands as she opened her eyes. "Tony, sweetheart, I need to tell you something that is going to make you angry and upset. Something I perhaps should have told you sooner."

Natasha snorted and repeated the word, "Perhaps?"

Again Peggy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Natasha Elizabeth, I know you're upset; that you are angry and hurt, but young lady you are pushing dangerously close to a line you do not wish to cross with me right now."

Natasha was all of those things, but she wasn't stupid. So she flopped into a chair across from her mother and cousin, and brooded quitely.

"Smart girl." Peggy said, before returning her focus to Tony. Yet another deep breath, "Tony…"

"You know you're the only one who does that backwards." Tony interpreted, his stomach twisting up in a way he didn't like. "You only ever call me Tony when it's something serious. So, how serious is this, Aunt Peggy?"

"Oh my sweet boy." Peggy sighed as she reached out to cup his cheek. "My darling, it's about your parents death. Tony, their deaths were not an accident. They were murdered."

Peggy explained everything, and much to her mother's disapproval, Natasha provided the evidence. Tony was in shock, his cheeks wet with tears as he took it all in, his aunt's words, the pictures hovering the air around him. There was a lot to resent his father for, and this had been at the top of his list. After Peggy had finished talking, and he knew everything, the three of them just sat there for awhile in silence. Each lost in a storm of emotion and thought. Finally Tony looked at Natasha and asked, "Does Rogers know all of this?"

Natasha nodded, but before she could say anything Tony was on his feet and storming towards the elevator. She and Peggy both followed, but he managed to close the doors before they could get on. "Stairs are this way."

"Where is he?!" Tony demanded as he stormed up to Steve. "Where the fuck is your pal, Rogers? Where's the man who murdered my parents?"

"I don't know." Steve answered honestly. "I honestly don't know, Tony. Sam and I went looking for him but we couldn't pick up his trail."

"Is that where Wilson is now?" Tony demanded. "Out looking for Barnes so you can protect him from paying for what he did?"

"Tony." Steve said firmly but gently. "I'm sorry about what happened to Howard and your mother, but…"

"But?" Tony yelled. "But, what Rogers? But Bucky is more important? Because he's not! Life went on without you, Captain, a family was created without you! Howard Stark wasn't just my father! I get it, you don't give a shit about me, that's fine, I don't really like you much either. But you care about Peggy, you loved her once, and Howard Stark was her brother! He was Natasha's godfather! We loved him! Fuck Bucky Barnes, he doesn't matter, my father, my mother, mattered! Downstairs, when we saw Nat dancing, do you know who taught her to love ballet like that? Maria Stark! My Mom! Your friend killed my Mom! She mattered!"

"Anthony." Peggy called out softly as she and Natasha apporched. "Darling, stop."

Tony took a step back from Cap. He hadn't even realized he'd gotten so close. "Where is he Rogers?"

Steven just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Tony, I honestly don't know."

"And if you did you wouldn't tell me." Tony replied, his dark eyes full of anger, hurt, and tears. "Fine, I'll find of the son of a bitch myself."

"You can't fight him on your own, Tony." Steve said firmly. "He fought me, Sam, and Nat to a standstill. What are you going to do if you find him?"

Tony held out his right arm, and moments later it was covered in his armor. Reaching out before anyone could stop him he grabbed Steve by the throat and squeezed using the armor's strength. "I don't know, Cap, maybe I'll crush his windpipe the way he did my mother's."

"Anthony let him go!" Peggy ordered, rushing over to stop her godson from doing something he'd regret. "Now!"

Tony held tight for a few seconds longer and then let Steve go. Then he started walking towards the balcony, his latest set of armor forming around him as he went. He heard his aunt call out to him, and Natasha too, but he ignored them. Once his suit was completely in place he took off, flying away from the tower.

"Damnit!" Natasha said as she headed for the elevator. It was times like this where she almost wished she'd let him make her a damn suit.

"You shouldn't have told him, Peg." Steve said, his voice soft, a bit scratchy from being choked, and clearly laced with anger. "He didn't need to know. It only complicates things. The Winter Soldier is…"

"Bucky." Peggy cuts him off. "Yes, I know. Natasha told me."

"She wants to kill him." Steve told her as he looked down into her eyes. "Nat, she wants to kill Bucky, and now so does Tony. He was your friend too, Peggy."

Peggy nodded. "He was, and I'm so very sorry I didn't find him when I found Michael." She let her head drop, her dark eyes welling with tears again. But then she looked up at Steve and said, "Bucky was my friend, but those are my children, Steve."

Steve sighed softly and pulled her close, hugging her to his chest. "How did you use to say it? Something about muck or pears or something?"

That actually got her to chuckle. "It's all gone pear shaped, and we've mucked it all up?"

"Yeah, that's it." Steve nodded. "How do we fix this so no one else gets hurt any worse than they already are, Peg?"

This time Peggy sighed. "I'm not sure yet, Steve." Pulling out of his embrace she looked up at him and said, "Please understand that I will do what I can for Bucky, but my priorities lay with my children."

At least Tony was somewhat predictable. At least to them he was. Parking the car the pair got out and made their way across the parking lot. Shielding their eyes from the sun they looked up at the giant donut with an Iron Man filling. Natasha shook her head, and with her hands on her hips she called out, "Tony Stark get your ass down here!"

Tony wasn't really surprised to look down and see Natasha standing there glaring up at him. He'd known she would follow him. Seeing Sharon standing next to Natasha, that was a surprise. Though he wasn't sure why, of course they were going to double team him. Groaning he replies, "Fine, I was out of strawberry sprinkles anyway."

Heading into the shop Tony orders a dozen mixed donuts and a pot of coffee before laying claim to a booth. He lounges on one side, while the girls slide in across from him on the other. No one says anything until the waitress brings over the donuts and coffee. Then Tony looks at Sharon, "So, I'm guessing Nattie filled you in?"

"She did." Sharon says with a nod. "Tony, I'm so sorry."

"I don't know how to feel right now." He admits. "I hated the old man most because I thought he got off his ass drunk and ran my mother into a fucking tree. Turns out, he was murdered by something his work probably had a hand in creating, so, still his fault?" Tony shoves a donut into his mouth and then chugs his coffee painfully. "Anyway, doesn't matter, how do we find this son of a bitch and how do we put him down?"

Sharon and Natasha exchange a look before Natasha sighs and rolls her eyes. "That's why I called Sharon, Tony. We needed someone with a level head."

Tony chuckled, "You always were the one keeping us out of trouble most of the time." He smiled at the blonde sat across from him, and then sighed softly and nodded. "Alright Huey, what's the plan?"

"You and Nat go back to New York." Sharon replies. She knows this isn't going to go over well, she'd already had this argument with Natasha. "And you work things out with your team. The Avengers need you both, and the world needs the Avengers. Stop looking at me like I just shoved a pickle up your ass, Tony, and listen." She waited a moment until Tony stopped making faces at her. Then she continued, "I'm going to go look for Barnes."

"You're not an assassin, Sharon." Tony huffs at her protectively.

"Neither are you, Tony." She replies, staring into his eyes unflinchingly.

"I've killed plenty in the line of duty, assassin isn't far off my job description." Natasha throws in. "Besides, I've already told Rogers that was my intentions. Don't want to lie to Cap, now do we?"

Sharon sighs. "Natasha Elizabeth, no."

"I swear to Thor if one more person middle names me I'm breaking their fucking nose." Natasha grunts.

That got Tony to laugh. "I will pay you a million dollars if that happens, because chances are it'll be Aunt Peggy or Aunt Angie, and you're going to need it to hide from them, cause grown ass woman or not they'd beat your ass if you tried."

Natasha reached for a donut and huffed, "Yeah, well, Mum's already at that line she warned me about so, I should probably go with Sharon anyway."

"God, you two are thick sometimes." Sharon moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. "The plan is, you two go back to your team, protect the world, make up with Aunt Peggy, and wait for me to find Barnes." She looks into Tony's eyes, reaches for his hands, and wraps her fingers around the warm metal of his armor. "Barnes isn't going to get away with what he did, Tony. But I don't think he's in his right mind, given what SHIELD knows about the Winter Soldier, and from what Nat's told me, I think Barnes is what they were trying to do to my Dad. Brainwashing, cryogenic hibernation, those were the experiments they were doing to my Dad when Aunt Peggy found him. Barnes not knowing who he was, who Captain Rogers was, and the fact that he's still so young, it all kind of fits." She looked between her cousins then. "And that's another reason you two need to go back to New York, Aunt Peggy's going to blame herself because she didn't find Barnes when she found Dad, which lead to him becoming what he is, and what he's done."

Sharon was right, Natasha sighed softly. Her mother was going to try to take this on herself even though it's not her fault.

"Yeah, ok, I can go back and be there for Aunt Peggy, of course I can." Tony replied. "But how the hell do you expect me to work with Rogers? He'd choose Barnes over us in a heartbeat. I can't trust him."

"If it were me or Nattie in Barnes' place, what would you do?" Sharon asked him.

Tony huffed. "That's different, Sharon! You're my family!"

"Yeah, Tony, we are." Sharon said firmly but gently. "And James Barnes was Steve Roger's family. They grew up together just like we did. They relied on each other the way we still do."

Tony didn't like it, but Sharon might have a few good points. "This is really fucking messed up."

"Yeah, it is." Sharon agreed, and then smirked in a braty kind of way she hoped would break the tension. "It gets even more fucked up when you throw in the fact that Natasha's fucked Bucky Barnes, who according to Dum Dum, use to hit on Aunt Peggy all the time when they were friends."

Tony chokes on his coffee as Natasha sinks into her seat and glares at Sharon. "I hate you."

They all take the quinjet back to New York, and then Tony gives Natasha a lift back to the Tower. They use Tony's private entrance to the penthouse, and are told by Jarvis that Peggy was no longer there. She must have gone home, so they head down to the garage to grab a car to drive to Brooklyn. "Take the armor off Tony." Natasha says as she stands beside one of Tony's cars. "It's not a security blanket."

"It kind of is actually." Tony pouted.

Natasha sighed. "Tony, you're not allowed to wear it in the house so there's no point. Take it off and put it away, then get in the fucking car."

Tony watches as Natasha has the gall to get in behind the wheel of his favorite Audi. He continues to pout until Natasha revs the engine and then finally gives in and steps out of the suit, sending it back to it's locker. Then he slides into the passenger seat, and Natasha peels out of the garage on squealing tires. They don't say anything, they just listen to the playlist that the two of them share with Sharon. Natasha focuses on driving, probably a little faster than she should through the city. Tony watches the world whiz by almost as fast as the thoughts and feelings in his head. He cracks a smile when JailHouse Rock comes on, Sharon added that one in memory of the L.A. incident. When they finally pulled up in front of the Carter brownstone and Natasha shuts off the engine Tony reaches for the door handle but stops when he realizes Natasha isn't moving, her hands still on the steering wheel in a white-kunckled grip.

"Nattie?" Tony says gently as he turns to face her, flicking on the over head light so he can see her properly since it was now dark outside. "Are you alright?"

Natasha shakes her head slightly. She's trembling a little and there are tears welling in her eyes. "No." She whispers. "Not really." She stares straight ahead, unblinking. "Things got really ugly between us, Tony. I.. I'm.." She chuckles humorlessly. "I'm actually kind of scared."

"Hey," Tony's voice is calm but firm as he reaches out to wipe away a tear from his cousin's cheek before gently turning her head to make her look at him. "It's going to be alright, Natasha. It might be awkward as hell, tense even, but it's going to be ok. Aunt Peggy loves you, Nat. You are everything to her. There is nothing you could say or do that would ever make either one of those women in there love you any less." He smiled at her as he wiped away another tear. "Nattie, I'm just the godson, the nephew, and no matter what I've done they've never turned their backs on me. You, Natasha Elizabeth Luisa Martinelli Carter, are their stinkin' kid, their only child, their daughter. You could burn the world to ashe and they'd still love you. They'd be super pissed and the punishment would be epic, but they'd still love you."

Natasha laughed a little despite herself. "When did you become the one who gives that speech in this relationship?"

"When you decided it was a good idea to have a knock down drag out with Peggy freaking Carter." Tony teased. "I mean sure, I tried to choke out Captain America, but you yelled at your mother. Which one of us made the dummer choice here?"

She laughed again, and slowly Natasha's hands began to release the steering wheel. "I thought you were trying to get me out of the car, not pull off and race away."

"I am trying to get you out of the car." Tony smiled. "Because Aunt Angie has looked out the window three times now, if we don't get out of the car soon she's going to come get us herself."

Natasha's hands went to her stomach as she sighed softly while letting her head fall back against the headrest. "I knew there would be fallout from taking down HYDRA, I just never expected it to hit so close to home. Everything's a fuckign mess, Tony."

"Yeah, I know." Tony replied simply.

They sat in the car for a few more minutes to give Natasha time to get herself together and then they headed inside. Normally Natasha would be the first one through door, leading whoever was with her into her home, but this time she actually followed Tony. She even lagged behind a little, staying by the doorway instead of fully walking into the living room where her mother was waiting.

Angie had heard the car coming, seen the headlights swipe across the wall as they pulled up, and was instantly at the window. With the light on inside the car she could clearly see what had happened, had seen Tony comforting her daughter. If her insides weren't already twisted up from all of this, they would have twisted up at the sight of Natasha looking so unsure about coming into her own home. Tony was the first one to enter the room so Angie went to him first and wrapped her arms around him. "I know you're not alright," She said as she held him tightly. "But are you ok?"

"Three dozen donuts, and several pots of coffee to match might not have been the best idea at my age." Tony replied with a soft chuckle as he hugged his aunt.

Stepping back from the hug Angie reached up to cup his face and give him a warm smile. "Why don't you go wait in the kitchen, T. I'll come in a moment and make you some seltzer, and then we can make a pot of peppermint tea."

Tony looked over his shoulder at Natasha to see if she was ok with that, he wasn't going to leave her alone if she didn't want him too. Natasha just shrugged timidly. He didn't like that. Timid Natasha made him uneasy, there was nothing timid about her, never had been.

"It wasn't really a request, Anthony." Angie said gently but firmly.

Still Tony waited until he got the slightest of nods from Natasha and then left the room, leaving the two Martinelli-Carters alone.

Once Angie was sure Tony was in the kitchen, her eyes focused on her daughter the whole time, Angie points to the spot right in front of her. "Natasha Elizabeth Carter, come here right now."

Natasha felt like she was a girl again and had just smashed a crystal vase with Rosie's ball after being told three times to stop throwing the ball in the house. She moved across the room slowly, eyes on the floor until she was standing in front of her mother, and then she looked up to meet Angie's own blue-green eyed gaze. "Mama I…"

"Shut up little girl and listen." Angie said firmly, cutting her daughter off. "Natasha, you have every right to feel what you're feelin' right now. You do. The anger, the hurt, the renewed grief because it suddenly feels like we've lost Howard and Maria all over again. Baby, I get it, I do." Angie paused for just a moment, just long enough to put some bite into her tone. "What you had no right to do Natasha Elizabeth is come into this house and disrespect your mother the way you did."

"Mama I'm…" Natasha tried again.

Angie reached out and twisted Natasha just enough so she could reach her rear end and gave it a hard smack, hard enough that the young woman softly yelped. "I'm not finished, Natasta Elizabeth Luica, and until I am, not a word. Understood?" Her daughter nodded, eyes a little wide, surprised by Angie's actions. "Good." She acknowledged. "Every choice, every decision your mother has ever made when it comes to this family was made out of love and a desire to keep us safe and protected. Not all of those choices and decisions have been easy ones for her to make, and she has had to carry the burden of a lot of those choices and decisions by herself because you and I simply could not know about 'em. It's not like you don't understand all this super secret spy world stuff, Natasha, because you choose to follow in her footsteps."

Natasha shifted slightly on her feet as tears welled in her eyes. She knew her mother was right, she could have, should have handled this better, but in the moment, riding the wave created by everything leading up to it, she simply hadn't had the ability to. No, that's not quite right. She had the ability to handle it differently, she simply hadn't wanted too.

"You're mother and I will always be a safe place for you and your feelings, Natasha." Angie continued scolding. "But we do expect you to have the same amount of respect for us that we have for you, because we know damn well that's how we raised you to be. You hurt your mother Natasha, she won't admit it, she'll play it off because that's what Peggy does, but you did hurt her." Natasha dropped her head but Angie made her look up at her again. "And I expect you to make things right. Have I made myself clear, Natasha? Now you may speak."

"Yes Mama." Natasha said softly. "I'm sorry."

Angie nodded with a soft sigh and then reached out to pull her daughter into her arms and hold her as tight as she could. There was hesitation on Natasha's part, Angie knew this was due to her guilt, but after a few moments her girl returned the hug. Her angel even nuzzled her face into Angie's neck, and Angie could feel the wetness from Natasha's tears on her skin. After several minutes of holding her child, Angie gently pushed her back and reached up to wipe away her tears. "I love you, angel." Angie pulled her daughter close again and kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. "Your mother is in her study." Angie told her as she turned Natasha in the direction of Peggy's study. Then she sent her daughter off with a wicked smack to her rear end. "Go make things right with her, angel."

Her Ma had smacked her hard enough that Natasha actually reached back to rub the sting out as she made her way down the hallway to her Mum's study. As she approached the closed door Natasha actually thought she would prefer the humiliation of being punished like a child again over having to face her Mum. Raising her fist to knock, Natasha couldn't bring herself to do it, moving to the side of the door instead and letting herself slid down the wall to the floor. Bringing her knees up to her chest she wrapped her arms around her legs, and pressed her forehead to her knees. She'd hurt her Mum. She'd hurt her Mum, and the part that was making Natasha sick was the fact that she'd wanted to do it. She'd been so overwhelmed by the truth, and had to push it all down for so long to finish the HYDRA op that it was too much for her and she needed someone to hurt with her.

"The first time you sat outside my study like this you were six." Peggy's voice said softly from above. "You'd stolen some chocolate from the Italian market while you were with our Ma, and hadn't gotten caught. You weren't able to sleep at all that night and came down here to tell me, but you were frightened over how much trouble you'd be in, so you sat out here until I came out. Nearly tripped over you." Reaching down Peggy sank in her fingers into Natasha's hair and gently scratched at her scalp. "The last time you sat outside my study like this you were in high school. You'd been dating that boy I didn't like. When he tried to take things too far you came home and sat there in your homecoming dress worried I'd be more angry at you for breaking his wrist than at him for trying to push into something you hadn't been ready for."

There were days when Peggy wished she could turn back the clock to when Natasha was a little girl again. Back to the days where she could fix her little girl's worse problems with a cuddle and her favorite biscuit, comfort her with a happy story, or a silly song, and kiss away the pain of her hurts. Peggy had never wanted to be a source of her daughter's pain, and yet here they were. Each of them wounded by the other, and uncertain of what to do about it. "I've a fresh pot of tea, and perhaps something a bit stronger for afterwards, if you want to come inside."

Peggy went back into her study and over to the small round table where her tea service was always placed. She listened for movement in the hall, her breath held as she waited to see if Natasha would join her. She was starting to fear the girl wouldn't when she finally heard shuffling and the sound of Natasha's footfalls entering the room. She closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh before pouring two cups of tea, making each the way she and Natasha liked them. When she turned she was relieved to see her daughter sitting on the far end of the leather sofa against the wall across from her desk.

"Thank you." Natasha said softly as she accepted the tea from her mother. She held the cup in both hands, letting the warmth of it sink into her skin before lifting it to her lips to sip. It might have been a bit cliche, but Natasha was always able to find comfort in tea. All of those long missions in Europe away from her family, her home, making a cup of tea was always the simplest way for her to sooth the homesickness. It wasn't helping now, she wasn't homesick. She was sitting in her home with her mother only a couch cushion away. What she was, was that little girl who's tummy was knotted up with guilt and that terrified teenager who couldn't keep her thoughts in order as she tried not to throw up.

"I was being a bitch." Natasha finally spoke up as she set her mug on the coffee table in front of them. "And what's worse is I meant to be one. I just," She stared at her hands, unable to look at her mother. "I thought I was stronger than that but, I just, I couldn't handle it all." Dropping her head, she ran her hands through her hair, and then locked her fingers behind her neck as she rested her elbows on her knees, doubling herself over again. Why did her emotions always have to sink into her stomach? Why did she have to eat so many damn donuts? She took a slow breath and then said, "I want to say I didn't mean to hurt you, but," Her voice cracked, she was beginning to tremble and the tears followed. "But I'd be lying to you and I can't add that on top of everything else."

Natasha got up and moved across the room to the window when she felt her mother shift on the other end of the sofa. She knew Peggy was about to move closer to her, to reach out and put her hand on her back to comfort her like she always did, but she wasn't ready for that yet. She just needed a minute, a minute to catch her breath and sort herself out like a big girl. Then she walked back over to her mother and knelt down in front of her, and looked up into Peggy's eyes. "I am sorry though, Mum. I am so so sorry I hurt you. I am so sorry I wasn't strong enough to keep it from going that far, for letting myself get overwhelmed, I'm…"

"Natasha." Peggy said softly, cutting her daughter off as she reached for the younger woman's face. "We all get overwhelmed by our emotions sometimes, even the strongest of us. You don't need to apologize for becoming overwhelmed by your emotions. I do accept your apology for the rest of it, darling. I suppose it's rather human instinct to grab hold of someone else when you feel as though you're drowning, and I am always the safest person you can turn too." Peggy used her thumbs to wipe away Natasha's tears though it was in vain as more just kept coming. "I was hurt Natasha, deeply so, but I understand and I forgive you, darling."

"Really?" Natasha replied softly.

Peggy blinked, a little startled by the uncertainty in her daughter's eyes and voice. "Of course I do, darling. Natasha, please tell me that you know I will always forgive you no matter what? Do you not know how much I love you?"

"I do." Natasha nodded as she best she could with her mother holding so tightly to her head. "It's just that, even while we were in the middle of fighting, I scared myself with how far I pushed it."

"Oh poppet." Peggy breathed out as she pulled her little girl into her arms and held her as tightly as she could. "Oh my love, we really mucked this one up didn't we?" Peggy started to rock them gently, a bit awkwardly, but continued to hold her girl as tight and as close as she could. "I love you, Natasha. Nothing and no one will ever take that away from us, it will never diminish, and even after I've gone from this earth my love for you will remain." Pulling Natasha back a bit so she could look her in the eyes Peggy added, "And don't you ever doubt or forget that Natasha Carter, do you hear me?"

Natasha nods. "Yes Mummy." Then she buries herself back into her mother's embrace. "I love you too."


	9. Chapter 9

Secret Traditions (with Ma)

Angie Martinelli-Carter and her little Christmas Angel had a tradition, something they only did when Peggy's work took her out of town. As soon as Peggy called to say she had arrived to wherever in the world her work had taken her, Angie and Natasha would grin these big wide eyed dopey grins at each other. It had all started as a way to distract Natasha from Peggy not being home. When she was small she hated when either of her mothers was away for longer than a day. The sight of a suitcase or an overnight bag would send her into wailing sobs and vice like clinging to which ever mother was about to leave. It broke their hearts, so each of them had come up with something special to do with Natasha while the other was away.

For Angie it started with dinner, because this was Angie so of course it started with food. She would make some 'All-American' meal like cheese burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes, or chili dogs, chips, and root beer floats. Natasha would help her of course, Angie had started bringing her little girl into the kitchen with her as soon as Natasha was big enough to hold a spoon and stir. Natasha liked helping with desserts best because she got to taste the sweet fillings, batters, and doughs. Since this particular secret little tradition had a certain theme to it the desserts were things like apple pie and ice cream sundaes.

After they finished eating and cleaning up Angie would pull out her old wartime radio, which Howard had updated for her so that it played things like cassette tapes and compact disks. She and Peggy tended to use it when they were feeling nostalgic on date nights and wanted to dance to the old songs from when they were young. The collection of disks Angie took out of their hiding place in the pantry, in a little hidden nook concealed behind the imported Italian ingredients Peggy wasn't allowed to use under penalty of having to sleep alone in the guest room for a week if she did, also came from Howard.

Angie would put one of the disks into the radio and then she and Natasha would curl up together in the big comfy chair, the one Peggy liked to curl up in to read in the evenings with a cup of tea on quiet days or a glass of whiskey on the harder ones. Before crawling into her Ma's lap, Natasha would set out her bears on the coffee table around the radio. She now had a full collection of Howling Commando teddy bears, and she loved each and every one of them, but Dum Dum Bear was her favorite. He was the one she slept with and took everywhere with her. So Dum Dum Bear got to be in the middle, right in front, with the others spreading out beside him, forming a semi-circle around the radio. Normally Dum Dum Bear would have been with her and her Ma in the chair, but this was a special occasion, which called for a special bear. In fact, this was the only time this particular bear was out and about, since he was kind of a secret too.

"Ready angel?" Angie asked from the big comfy chair were she watched Natasha arrange the Howling Bear Commandos.

"Yeap!" Natasha replied as she dashed over to her Ma.

"You got Cap Bear?" Angie asked, arms open and waiting for her little girl.

Natasha held up the pale tan bear dressed in Captain America's bright blue uniform, little white star on his chest, red and white stripes around his tummy, little helmet on his head, and of course his shield attached to his paw. Angie smiled and reached for her girl to pull her into her lap, and then used a small remote to start the disk. Throwing a blanket over their laps she sat back, pulling Natasha close, arms wrapped around her tightly, and smiled.

"And, what's the one rule of Cap's Adventure Club?" Angie asked as they waited for the disk to start playing.

"Mummy must never know!" Natasha said with a firm nod of her head.

"Good girl." Angie laughed.

Music began playing from the radio followed by a man's booming voice. "And now it's time for the Captain America Adventure Program! Brought to you by Stark Motors, the only place to get the cars of tomorrow, today! Tonight's thrilling tale takes us deep into the snow covered forest where the brave men of the 107th search for their favorite beautiful nurse and Captain America's sweetheart, Betty Carver."

"You're going to be in big trouble when Captain America gets here." A breathy woman's voice says.

Angie moans softly and rolls her eyes. "Arlene French, what a hack."

"Mama shhh!" Natasha whispered with a less then gentle elbow to Angie's ribs.

Angie made a playful oof sound, but Natasha was already too invested in the terrible radio show to notice. Howard had every single one of the original recordings in a vault, which he insisted was to preserve history, and not to keep Peggy from destroying his collection of less than dignified Captain American memorabilia. Angie can't even remember why she had a set of the remastered disks, they were probably meant to be a gift for Natasha and Angie had just naturally hidden them away. While Peggy was well aware of Cap Bear, who normally lived on top of Natasha's bookcase, Angie wasn't so sure she'd be quite so understanding about the radio program that had depicted her as a helpless damsel in distress every week. Angie was fairly certain Peggy would have a stroke if she knew she was letting Natasha listen to this. But the week this little tradition had started had been a hard one, and the only thing that had even remotely worked at keeping the girl calm and off Angie's hip for more than five minutes at a time was when Angie had accidently put one of the disks on while trying to find one of the ballet disks Natasha liked. It had captured Natasha's attention long enough that she'd gone a whole thirty minutes without asking for Peggy and then dissolving into heartbreaking sobs when Angie had to tell her Mummy wouldn't be home for a few more days yet. So Angie had tried again, and it had worked again, and so it became a special thing just between the two of them.

As the program went on Natasha began to bounce on Angie's lap, and every time Captain American would punch someone, the sound of someone slapping on a raw rump roast being the indication of this, Natasha would throw her own little fist out too. Angie found it almost unbearably cute the way Natasha became so animated as they listened to radio Cap's adventures. She treasured these special evenings together, just her and her daughter. Angie would be forever grateful for the chance to call Natasha her daughter, to spend time with her like this, to get to raise her alongside the woman she loved. She was grateful to Dottie for doing the brave thing, the right thing, and leaving her with them to care for. And she was grateful to Peggy for agreeing to do it, because until Natasha appeared in their lives Angie hadn't been sure she'd ever have kids. She'd always wanted kids of her own, but she'd known from a young age that she liked girls and not boys, so she wasn't altogether sure if she'd ever have any. Then she'd gone and fallen in love with Agent Peggy Carter, who's focus had always been on her career, and she figured the kid thing just wouldn't happen. She thanked God in her prayers every night that it had, and she promised Him she would be the best mother she could to her little girl.

When the hour long program was over Natasha threw herself back against her mother's chest dramatically, Angie just getting her face out of the way in the nick of time, and threw her arms out to the side with a heavy sigh. She had the biggest smile as she said, "That was a good one, Mama."

"It was one of the better ones." Angie agreed and she stopped the disk. "I'm glad you liked it baby." She smiled as she tickled Natasha, making her squirm.

Natasha wiggled and giggled on her mother's lap until Angie stopped. Then she twisted so she was sitting sideways instead of facing outward towards the radio. "Mama?"

"Yes angel?" Angie replied as she wrapped her arms around Natasha.

"How come Mummy can't know?" Natasha asked.

Angie knew Natasha would ask this question one day. She knew that the novelty of keeping a secret from Peggy would off and she'd be curious. Looking into Natasha's blue-green eyes Angie considered her reply carefully, and figured she was old enough now to understand at least some of the reasons why. "Well, see, the thing is angel, Mummy knew the real Captain America."

Natasha's blue-green eyes went wide and she gasped softly. "She did?"

"Yeap," Angie nodded. "His name was Captain Steven Rogers, and he served in the war with Mummy. He was very important to her, he was special, and she doesn't think that they do a very good job telling his story on the radio show. She thinks they make him seem kind of silly, when he wasn't, he was very brave and clever. He died savin' a lot of people's lives, includin' mine, and Mummy thinks his memory deserves more respect."

"Oh." Natasha replies softly and then looks at her mother with surprise. "He saved you?"

Angie nods. "The very bad people that Mummy, Uncle Howard, the Howlies and Captain Rogers were fightin' in the war, they wanted to do something very bad, very evil, to New York. Captain Rogers didn't let them, he stopped them, keepin' New York safe. I was in New York, so when he saved New York, he saved me too."

"Wow." Natasha breathed out in awe.

"Yeah." Angie said with a warm smile as she pulled Natasha close again. Then she chuckled and added, "Plus, we can't tell her because she really hates Betty Carver."

"Why?" Natasha asks. "Was she a real person too? Did Mummy know her?"

Angie nods, a huge smile on her lips. If Peggy every found out about this she was a dead woman, well, maybe not dead, but it would be a very very long time before she would be allowed to touch her wife again. "Betty Carver is suppose to be Mummy."

Natasha sits back, gasps, her eyes wide, and then she loses it to a fit of giggles, because Betsy Carver is nothing at all like her Mummy. After she calms down, and she and her Ma snuggle for awhile, Natasha sits up again with wide eyes. Only this time there is no amusement on the little girl's face. "Betty's in love with Captain America." Natasha says with serious concern. "Did Mummy love Captain Rogers?"

"She did." Angie tells her truthfully. "Very much."

"But Mummy loves you." Natasha insits.

Angie nods. "She does." She reassures, and then does her best to explain. "Mummy knew Captain Rogers before she and I met, and she loved him very much, and that's ok, baby. When you get older you're goin' to love many people before you find that one special person you want to love forever." Angie pauses for a moment. She brushes at Natasha's hair and gives her a reassuring smile. "A piece of Mummy's heart will always love Captain Rogers, and that's ok because I know her whole heart loves me, and my whole heart loves her."

"Forever and always." Natasha says, having heard her mothers whisper that to one another.

"Forever and always." Angie agrees.

Thinking the Q&A was over, Angie cuddled a little longer with her little girl and then sends her upstairs to put her bears away, and to get ready for her bath. After putting the disks back in their hiding space, and putting the radio back in her and Peggy's room, she helped Natasha through her nightly routine. With Natasha in her favorite cozy pajamas Angie took her back downstairs so she could braid her hair while it was still wet. She loved the way Natasha's hair curls in soft spirls when they did it that way. She was about a fourth of the way into the briad when Natasha asked her next question.

"Mama?" Natasha said suddenly, her attention not really on the television across the room. Her little mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts, feelings, and questions she wanted to ask.

"Aren't you a curious little bug tonight." Angie laughed, knowing from the way Natasha had said her name that she was about to launch into another Q&A. "Yes baby?"

"Is Captain Rogers the real reason the Fourth of July makes Mummy a little bit sad?" Natasha asked softly.

Angie was a little startled by the question, not sure how Natasha had even made the connection. She nods. "Yes, it's his birthday." Then she raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by the real reason?"

"Uncle Dum Dum said the Fourth of July makes Mummy sad because she's British and she's still pouty over a tea party in Boston." Natasha answered.

Angie couldn't help but laugh. "No, baby, Mummy is not holdin' a grudge over the Revolutionary War."

"What about Uncle Howard?" Natasha asks.

Angie blinks, "No, I don't think he's holdin' any bad feelin's about being American either."

"No Mama." Natasha said with a sigh, clearly expecting her mother to keep up with the thoughts in her head. "Is that why he drinks to much on the Fourth? Because of Captain Rogers?"

That question actually made Angie stop braiding. Had Natasha started to notice Howard getting drunk? Was she old enough now to understand that he sometimes drank more than he should? Or that he acted differently when he did? Or that he acted differently than the other adults when alcohol was around? She and Peggy were going to have to talk about Howard when she got home. "Yeah, honey, Uncle Howard and the Howlies, they were all Captain Rogers' friends, so on certain days like his birthday, or the anniversary of his death, or on the day when Mummy wears the little red poppy flower on her lapel, they miss him just a little extra and it makes them sad."

When she was finished with Natasha's braid, Angie pulled the girl into her lap because now she was the one with a swarm of thoughts, feelings, and questions in her head. "Nattie, is that why you don't like the Fourth of July? Because it makes Mummy sad and Uncle Howard drink to much?"

Natasha nods. "It's ok when we're cooking out, and the fireworks are always so pretty, but then it isn't okay anymore."

"Why baby?" Angie asks, needing to know.

"Uncle Howard gets mad, he yells at Aunt Maria, and that upsets Tony, then Mummy gets angry and she yells at Uncle Howard, and Mummy doesn't really yell, so it's kind of scary." Natasha answers.

Angie blinks. She wishes she could say all of that didn't happen regularly, but it did, and not just on the Fourth these days. But shit like that normally happened after they'd put Natasha to bed. "How do you know that angel?"

"Sometimes the really loud fireworks wake me up." Natasha answers with a slight shrug of her small shoulders. "And Uncle Howard and Mummy get kind of loud, so I can't go back to sleep."

"Oh angel, I'm sorry." Angie says softly as she hugs her little girl closer. "Us big stupid adults didn't know we were wakin' you up. Why didn't you come and get me or Mummy?"

"I'm not lookin' for Mummy when she's yellin'" Natasha looks at her mother like she's nuts.

Angie laughed. "What about me?"

"You're busy tryin' to get her to stop yellin'" Natasha answers and then shrugs again. "So I just cuddle under the covers with Rosie. She doesn't like fireworks either."

The fact that Natasha was starting to sound more like her, letting some of the Brooklyn accent she's picked up from Angie slip through, was letting Angie know it was bedtime. Natasha had this natural little accent all her own, influenced by her mothers' very distinctive voices. She could even mimic their accents perfectly when she wanted too. "Don't ever be afraid to come find me or Mummy when you need us, Nattie." She tells her girl as she stands with Natasha in her arms. She was almost too big for Angie to carry around, and when it finally happened it would break Angie's heart. "Especially if you're feelin' scared or anxious or sad, ok?"

"Ok." Natasha yawns. "Mama?"

"Yeah?" Angie replies.

"Can I sleep with you? On Mummy's side of the bed?" Natasha asks. "Please?"

"Sure, angel, you can sleep with me on Mummy's side of the bed." Angie agrees as she carries her baby girl up to her and Peggy's room. Drawing back the covers, she settles Natasha down and smiles as she watches the tiny redhead burrow her face into Peggy's pillow. Angie tucks her in, and kisses her forehead whispers to her in Italian, "Goodnight angel, I love you."

Natasha snuggles, yawns, and whispers back. " ti voglio bene mamma."


	10. Chapter 10

He's Family

Natasha was really starting to hate countries that started with the letter B. She and Clint always had the most trouble in counties that started with the letter B. This time it had been Bahrain, which she'd left with the lovely souvenirs of three broken fingers and bruised ribs. At least the fingers were on her non dominant hand, and they did help to persuade Fury to give her and Clint some much needed R&R. Bahrain had been the last in a long string of missions, and they were both due some downtime. Clint would eventually make his way home to Laura, but since it would take a day or two to get him there Natasha took pity on him and drug him home with her. After they had proven to each other that they could be trusted, and they knew without doubt or hesitation that they had each other's backs following Budapest, Natasha had told him the truth of who she was and he'd told her about Laura and his son Cooper. Natasha trusted Clint, depended on him, he was her partner, and her best friend. So it never crossed her tired mind that taking him home with her meant he'd see Director Carter outside the confines of SHIELD.

The cab dropped two exhausted agents off in front of the Carters' suburban Maryland home, and drove off just as they shouldered their duffle bags. Natasha led Clint up the path to the front porch just as the last sliver of sun dropped behind the horizon. She stifled a yawn as she shoved her hand into the pocket of her jeans to pull her keys free, but apparently she didn't do it soon enough because she could hear Clint fully yawn behind her. "Don't start that shit, Barton. I want to eat before I crash for a week."

"I didn't start anything, Romanoff, you did." Clint replied through a second yawn.

Natasha had slipped her key into the lock but paused in turning it to turn and look at Clint. "Seriously Clint, don't call me that here. Don't ever call me Romanoff or Natalia in my mothers' home. It really pisses the old lady off."

"Gottcha." Clint nodded his acknowledgement of the intel. Then he crinkled his nose a little. "Am I supposed to call you Carter? Cause that'd be weird."

"Why don't we stick with Nat." Natasha replied as she turned the lock and pushed open the door. As soon as she and Clint were inside she closed the door and keyed in the passcode on the secure panel on the wall next to the coat/hat rack. Dropping her duffle to the hardwood floor she was just about to call out to her mothers to let them know she was home when an ear piercing squeal filled the silence.

Clint tensed at the sound of a woman's high pitched shriek, his dominant hand reaching for his bow on instinct only to come up empty. Realizing he didn't have his bow, he reached for the knife in his boot as he whispered, "Nat?"

Natasha knew that sound and it made her roll her eyes, but it also made her smile just a little. Again, if she weren't so damn fatigued she would have thought to call ahead and warn her mothers that she was coming home and bringing Clint with her. She held up her hand, closing it into a fist which told Clint to stand down just as a Brooklyn accented voice rang out from another room.

"Margaret Carter put me down!"

The next sounds that came from within the house but were growing closer were a husky chuckle, a slap muffled by fabric, and a yelp from the same voice that had squealed. The voice that followed was clearly English and full of mischief. "No darling I don't think I will."

"God," Natasha moaned, shaking her head but still smiling ever so slightly. "They're too old for this."

Peggy stepped out of the living room with Angie tossed over her shoulder determined to carry her upstairs to their room. She couldn't help but laugh at Angie's protests, it was her own damn fault for teasing Peggy that she was too old to still carry her off like this, and when Angie pinched her backside again she slapped Angie's again in return. All of Peggy's merriment came to a crashing halt when she spotted Natasha in foyer, and one of her young agents standing near the front door.

When Peggy came to a sudden stop and tensed up Angie did her best to try and see what was going on, but dangling upside down the way she was made it a bit difficult. "English?"

The fact that she'd managed to completely throw her unflappable mother off guard was amusing Natasha greatly and she couldn't help but tease her. Throwing her thumb over her shoulder to point at the door she said, "Do you two need us to come back later? What do you need? An hour or two? Or like twenty minutes at most?"

Peggy had never blushed harder in her entire life as she carefully set her wife on her feet. "Natasha don't be cras."

Natasha snorted. "I'm not being cras, I was politely offering to leave so you and Ma could finish whatever it was you two were starting."

"Nattie, leave your mother alone." Angie said as she rushed over to pull her daughter into a hug. When Natasha tried to hide a soft whimper of pain Angie stepped back and frowned. "Nat?"

"It's nothing Ma." Natasha shook her head as if that would stop her mothers from worrying. "Just a little banged up, nothing major."

Angie's gaze raked over every inch of her child and when she saw that the pinky, ring, and middle fingers of Natasha's non-dominant hand were splinted and wrapped she reached for that hand and raised it up to have a closer look. "Just banged up Natasha Elizabeth, really? This looks like more than just bandged up to me."

There was an amused snort from behind Natasha that made Angie blink. She'd been so focused on seeing Natasha after so long, and then discovering her child had been hurt, that she hadn't noticed the young man with her. "Oh, hi, well this is us being rude as hell."

"Don't sweat it Ma, that's just Barton." Natasha said as she stepped aside, which is when she realized, "Wait, were you hiding behind me?"

"No." Clint snorted as if that were funny. Then he caught sight of the Director standing a few feet away with her arms crossed over her chest and he swallowed and said, "Maybe." He thought he heard the Director clear her throat, and could physically feel her glaring at him, and he instantly stood at attention. "Yes."

Natasha laughed, and then groaned because laughing hurt. "Oh for pete's sake, Mum, say hello so he'll relax please."

"Agent Barton." Peggy greeted simply, but only after she was sure she could speak without utter embarrassment clouding her voice.

"Director Carter, Ma'am." Clint responded, standing at attention, a slight nod of his head in respect.

"Peggy, leave the boy alone." Angie scolded her wife before turning to Clint Barton. She didn't bother trying to hide the fact that she was sizing him up. This young man held her daughter's safety and well being in the field in his hands, and she wanted to make sure he was up to it.

Natasha rolled her eyes at Clint while shaking her head at him and her Mum. "Ma, this is Clint Barton. Clint, my Ma."

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Director-Carter Ma'am." Clint said, still standing at attention, as he held out his hand but before Angie could reply Natasha was slapping the back of her good hand into his chest, causing him to let on oof.

"You're such a dumbass sometimes, Barton." Natasha was careful with her laughter this time. "You do know that Director isn't actually a part of our name right?"

Clint looked at her oddly. "What? Yeah, I know that!" He huffed, narrowing his eyes at her over the teasing. "But what else am I supposed to call them? I mean, what do you call them?"

Natasha blinked at him, and then made a face like she couldn't believe he'd just asked that. "Mum and Ma."

Clint blinked back. "Oh, yeah, right."

"I can't speak for how stuffy my wife will be about it, but Mrs. Carter is fine for now, Agent Barton." Angie laughed softly while accepting Clint's hand. "And it's nice to finally meet you too."

"I'm home for awhile," Natasha said as she looked between her mothers. She saw her Mum relax a bit and smile at the news, and that made her smile back. Then she bit her lip and said, "I kind of brought home a stray hoping he could stay a night or two until he can get to where he needs to go."

"Of course he can stay, angel." Angie said easily, ignoring the look her wife was shooting her. "Why don't you show Agent Barton up to the guest room and I'll make you both something to eat while you get cleaned up and settled in a bit."

Natasha all but groaned. "Dear god yes please! I want real food! And a shower! I really wanna wash my hair!" She whined the last part while holding up her broken fingers and glaring at them, before snatching up her duffle from the floor in her good hand. Then Natasha nodded towards the stairs. "Come on, Clint." He didn't move. "Oh for pete's sake." Looking over at her Mum, Natasha sighed and gave her puppy eyes until Peggy relented with an annoyed sigh and nodded. "Now, come on Barton, I've told you at least a million times that I was starving."

Just as Natasha reached the bottom of the stairs, before she could take her first step, Peggy stopped her. "Natasha." When her girl turned towards her Peggy walked over and wrapped her arms around her daughter in a tight embrace. "I'm glad you're home, poppet."

"Me too." Natasha replied, melting into her mother's arms.

Stepping back from the hug after a few more moments, but staying close, Peggy reached out and gently put her hands on either side of her daughter's ribcage. She could feel the bindings wrapping Natasha's upper torso and frowned a bit. Then she reached up to cup her daughter's face to pull her close and kiss her forehead.

"It's really not that bad Mummy, I promise." Natasha said softly.

"After dinner run yourself a bath, poppet, and I'll come and help you wash your hair." Peggy replied. Natasha nodded and then Peggy let her go so she could lead their guest upstairs. As soon as the pair were out of sight she felt her wife at her side and turned to look at Angie with a mix of annoyance, relief, and humiliation.

Angie just laughed it off. "I guess you'll have to prove that point of yours later, English."

Peggy groaned, turning red again, and covering her face with her hands. "He's one of my agents, Angela."

"Not when he's in this house as our guest he's not, Margaret." Angie said firmly. "That boy is responsible for watching our child's back out there in that chaos and madness you damn Carters insist on jumping head first into. He's her partner, and while he's in our home, that means he's family."

Upstairs Clint was rubbing the back of his neck as he followed Natasha down the hallway. "Hey Nat, maybe this wasn't the best idea. I can just go back to the Trisk and crash in a bunk."

"Ma's not going to let you do that." Natasha said as she opened the door to the guest room. "Mum will come around, she's just a little shell shocked right now, and it's not all because she's the Director and you're an agent."

"It's not?" Clint was skeptical.

Natasha laughed, "A lot of that stiffness down there was her just being English. I mean, agents or not, her daughter and her daughter's friend just caught her being randy with her girl, so she's mortified."

"Right." Clint said as he dropped his duffle on the bed. "This is still going to be weird and uncomfortable as hell."

"The sooner you realize she's a real person the easier this will be." Natasha tells him while putting her hand on his shoulder. "Room's got it's own bathroom, the showers at the Trisk have nothing on these, and once you've had my Ma's cooking, all the awkward will have been worth it."

She leaves Clint to settle in and shower after pointing out which room was hers, and which was her mothers so he could avoid it. She laughed all the way to her room because Clint had actually looked confused by the concept of the almighty Director Carter needing a bedroom. Stepping into her own room she took as deep a breath as she could without causing herself pain, and then let herself relax. Dropping her duffle on the floor she stared at her bed longingly but she knew if she sat down on it she'd end up laying down and then she'd be asleep within seconds. So instead she busied herself with securing her weapons. She was just finishing up when she heard her name called out from down the hall.

"Nat!"

Stepping out of her room Natasha looked down the hall towards the guest room and blinked. Clint was standing in the doorway of the room, frozen. "What's wrong?"

"What is that?" The archer asked while pointing to an orange tabby cat who was sitting right in front of his door staring at him.

"It's a cat, Clint." Natasha said with a laugh. "Did you hit your head or something?" She walked down the hall with a huge smile and as soon as the cat turned it's head to look at her she gently tapped her chest. The cat stood, stretched, and then leapt into her arms with ease. The cat began to purr loudly while rubbing his head against Natasha's cheek. Natasha smiled as she rubbed the cat's ears as she held him. "Clint Barton meet Agent Goose."

"Agent Goose?" Clint repeated as he smiled at the affectionate greeting between his friend and her cat.

"I didn't name him." Natasha said as she tilted her head towards the stairs before she started walking that way. "Fury did."

"Fury?" Clint asked as he caught up to her.

Natasha nodded. "When I was little my Grandad gave me a puppy, a beautiful red and white spaniel. Her name was Rosie, and I loved that dog. She was so smart, and very sweet. When she died I was devastated to the point that my Mum was worried. We'd had a lot of loss and the hits just seemed to keep coming. Fury noticed that Mum was worried, and she told him why, and then the next thing we know he's at the front door with this guy. I wasn't sure I wanted to get attached, but as soon as I had him in my arms, I was a goner. He's such a handsome charmer, aren't you Goose?"

The look the cat was giving Clint over Natasha's shoulder really didn't give Clint handsome charmer vibes, more like rip your face off in your sleep vibes, but whatever. When they reached the kitchen they were instructed by Angie to wash up and sit at the table. Given the lateness of their unexpected arrival Clint hadn't expected a full meal, but moments after taking his seat a plate of chicken alfredo with a side of broccoli and a slice of garlic bread was placed in front of him.

"There's shrimp as well, Agent Barton." Angie said. "I didn't know if you had any allergies."

"Um," Clint replied, blinking at the full plate. "No ma'am, no allergies."

Natasha beamed a smile at her friend, her voice laced with amusement and pride. "I know it's incredibly cliche and horribly stereotypical, but I did tell you my Ma was Italian-American and from Brooklyn, didn't I?"

Clint chuckled. "Yeah, after that time in India when you went off on that cab driver. You were so pissed every other word had a different accent."

"Their fault." Natasha indicated her mothers. "I grew up around a lot of different accents."

"You swore at him in Hungarian." Clint smirked at the memory.

Natasha's expression turned soft, a warm but somewhat sad smile tugging at her lips. "My godmother was Hungarian."

"Ana was one of the sweetest, kindest, gentlest gals you'd ever meet." Angie said softly.

"Unless you disrespected someone she loved, or dare do something as stupid as threaten the well being of one of her little ones." Peggy added. "Then she could be rather frightening."

Clint smiles. "Kind of sounds like my Mom."

After dinner Clint offers to do the dishes but Angie shoos him and Natasha both upstairs to get some sleep. "You both look dead on your feet." She'd said as she chased them away with a dish towel. "When was the last time you two slept for more than an hour or two? I can already tell you haven't had more than whatever you pack in your gear to eat."

Natasha and Clint looked at each other and then back at Angie and shrugged. Once they were back upstairs Natasha said goodnight to Clint, telling him to send her love to Laura and Cooper. Then she slipped into her room, heading straight to her bathroom to fill the tub with hot water. The mention of her Aunt Ana had her rummaging through her basket of essential oils for rose and chamomile to add to the epsom salts her bruised and battered body screamed for. After getting undressed and tossing the support bandage she'd been wearing into a drawer with other wraps and bandages she'd collected over the years, Natasha carefully eased into the hot water. Leaning back with a sigh of relief she closed her eyes, completely forgetting that one of her hands was bandaged as well. She nearly plunged that hand into the water until a firm but gentle hand stopped her. Opening her eyes Natasha grinned sheepishly at her mother.

"Suppose we don't ruin the splints and bandages allowing your broken bones to heal properly, darling, hmm?" Peggy says softly with amusement in her voice that doesn't altogether conceal her concern.

"Sorry." Natasha replies. "I forgot."

Peggy huffs lightly, but there's a warm smile on her lips. "Of course you did." It was only years of experience and practice that kept Peggy from reacting to the angry bruises that painted her daughter's pale skin all along her sides and down her back. It wasn't always easy for Peggy to balance her professional side with her maternal side. The pride she felt because Natasha was becoming one of the very best at what they had both chosen to do with their lives, often warred with the rage she felt over the fact that her child was getting hurt doing it. "What happened, Nat?"

"Nothing out of the norm really," Natasha answered. "More muscle than the recon indicated, and most of them raging out on something nasty, probably not street level, lab grade stuff, and getting beat down by a girl just seemed to make the rage worse." They talked out what happened a little more but then Natasha changed the subject. "You're not actually mad about Clint are you?"

"Mad?" Peggy shook her head as she gently poured water through her daughter's hair. "No, poppet, but I am feeling a bit out of sorts over the situation. I've tried very hard to keep as much of SHIELD out of our home as possible, and…"

"But Clint isn't here as a part of SHIELD, not really." Natasha cut in as she carefully drew her legs up to her chest to wrap her arms around. Resting her chin on her knees as her mother worked shampoo into her hair she continued, "He's here because he's my best friend, he's as wrecked as I am, and he needed a place to crash until he could go home to Laura that wasn't a lonely bunk at the Trisk."

Peggy raised and eyebrow at that. "I hadn't realized you and Agent Barton had gotten that close."

"You save each others' lives enough times and you're bound to form a bond. I mean, I trusted him enough to tell him who I really was, and he trusted me enough to tell me you and Fury kept his family off the books. So," Natasha's eyes were closed again, for the first time in days her body wasn't tense and blanketed in pain. "I kind of think, well, I kind of feel like maybe he's my version of what Uncle Howard was to you."

"Well," Peggy said softly, a bit shocked but also grateful that Natasha had someone she could trust and rely on the way she clearly did with Clint. "Than Agent Barton must be far more remarkable than some give him credit for."

Natasha snorted, and groaned softly at the pain that it caused. "Yeah, circus boy is more than he lets on. Fury has a good eye for talent and potential that others miss." She snorts and groans again. "Good eye."

Peggy chuckled at her little girl laughing at her own pun. "You're so tired, my darling girl."

"Little bit." Natasha hummed.

Peggy left Natasha to get out of the bath and get dressed, and then returned with two cups of tea, a box of Scottish shortbread biscuits, a package of Jammy Dodgers, and a bottle of water. "Pain meds, poppet?"

"Duffle bag." Natasha answered from where she sat on her bed with Goose in her lap, a towel around her shoulders, and her long red hair splayed out across the towel in wet strands. While her mother went in search of her meds, Natasha snatched up the package of Jammy Dodgers and ripped into them. When her Mum handed her her pills and the water she took them without complaint.

"One braid or two, love?" Peggy asked as she carefully eased in behind Natasha after grabbing the girl's comb and some hair bands.

One was faster and easier, but Natasha was feeling a little clingy and wanted to keep her mother to herself as long as possible. "Two."

Peggy smiled, leaned in and kissed the crown of her girl's head. As she gently began to comb out and section of Natasha's hair she easily slipped into telling her a story. "Did I ever tell you about the time you Mama and I almost gave Jarvis a heart attack?"

Natasha smirked, to relaxed and content to see where this was going. "Did he catch you carrying Ma around like a caveman too?"

"No." Peggy replied, her tone casual, but her smirk mischievous. "Angie had me pinned up against the wall in the library of the penthouse we were living in at the time, with her hand up my skirt, and my hands inside her blouse, full of the red lace bra she was wearing."

"NOPE!" Natasha startled Goose right out of her lap. "TMI, Mummy! Seriously!"

Peggy laughed. "After that Jarvis always did his best to ring ahead."

"Ok, got it, call first before I bring people over." Natasha moaned softly at her mother as she once again rolled her eyes. Then she grinned a very braty girn "Geesh, you're spiteful when you get cock blocked."

Peggy used the comb in her hand to smack the side of Natasha's thigh as she laughed. "Cheeky!"

It had been several months since they'd seen Natasha, and at least three weeks if not a full month since they'd gotten a call from her, so it wasn't surprising to Angie that when she went looking for her wife she found her still in their daughter's room. What she did find a bit surprising, and really funny, was the slight look of panic on Peggy's face when she walked in. "Everything alright, English?"

"No, I really have to pee and your daughter has a vice grip on me." Peggy replied. Natasha's head was resting just beneath Peggy's breast bone, and she had her arms wrapped around her. Safe in her own home, in her own bed, in her mother's presence, Natasha was dead to the world in her sleep. "Extracting myself isn't as easy as it was when she was small, and unable to beat me in one armed push-ups."

Angie laughed quietly so she wouldn't wake their daughter as she moved across the room to the other side of Natasha's bed. Gently sitting on bed behind Natasha, Angie reached out and started to softly but firmly rake her nails down from the nape of Natasha's neck to the middle of her shoulder blades. It took a few rounds of this, but gradually Natasha loosened her hold on Peggy enough for the other woman to extract herself. Angie watched as her love kissed their daughter's temple and whisper sweet dreams before fleeing their child's room for their own. Then she made sure Natasha was in a comfortable position that would allow her to sleep through the night despite her injuries, and then tucked the young woman in and kissed her forehead before whispering in Italian, "Beautiful dreams, my sweet angel."

Clint stayed in his room the following morning letting his senses tell him the story of the house. He could hear movement down the hall, and then downstairs, which were soon followed by typical morning smells. This told him that the Director and her wife were up and already going about their morning. Still, he stayed in his room. He didn't even crack the door open until he was fairly sure he heard movement coming from Natasha's room. Then and only then did he leave his own to gently knock on her door. "Nat." He whispered. "You awake?"

"Yeah, come in." Natasha's voice called through the door.

Clint rushed inside and closed the door with a soft click behind him. Then he spun around to talk to Natasha, but before he could say a thing it hit him. He was standing in Natasha's bedroom, her childhood bedroom! He had to take it all in. Despite the fact that he knew Natasha better than anyone outside of her family, it still startled him for some reason that the room wasn't all pink and white and girly. Weren't all little girl's bedrooms pink and white and girly?

Natasha's room was warm. The wall behind her bed was a warm medium gray with hints of a dark red, painted in large swirling brush strokes. The other walls were all a very light white-ish gray. The wooden frame of the low headboard was black, while the soft upholstered part was a lighter gray than the accent wall, but much darker than the other three. The comforter was the same color as the plush part of the headboard, but the pillows Natasha was leaning back into were black, red and white. Over the headboard, in a frame with the same width and height of the headboard, hung a black and white photograph of a dancer in mid leap with a shock of red coming from the scarf trailing behind her. It took Clint a minute to realize the dancer was a fifteen or sixteen year old Natasha.

There was an alcove with a big window and window seat, which could be hidden away by a set deep red curtains, which were currently pulled back to let in the light. There was a custom desk and bookcases built into the far wall on the opposite side of the room from the bed. The bookcase shelves not only held books, but some of Natasha's various trophies and ribbons showcasing some of her childhood achievements, as well as more personal mementos. The long shelf over the desk seemed to be home to several war era inspired teddy bears. Above the sliding closet doors were several vintage Brooklyn Dodgers pennants, and above the door Clint had just walked through hung a wood cross. Turning his attention back to Natasha who was sitting in her bed, Clint noticed the bedside tables. They were black iron and glass, and atop one of them was a beautiful handcrafted marble sculpture of a ballerina who appeared to be entwined with a rosary. If he were to ask Natasha, which he might someday, she would tell him that the rosary belonged to her Aunt Maria, and that Tony had had the sculpture made for her personally. Natasha's love for ballet and opera had come from her Aunt Maria, and Tony had found a way to honor that for them. If Clint dared to ask she would also tell him about the Star of David in the shadow box next to the sculpture, and how her godfather, her Uncle Howard, had mixed the very last oz of vibranium he had left with gold to make the Star for her godmother, her Aunt Ana, and the cross Natasha wore around her own neck.

There were framed pictures all over the room as well but before Clint could even began to take in the smiling faces behind the glass, Natasha spoke up.

"Where you really expecting it to be full of rainbows and unicorns, Clint?" Natasha's voice was full of laughter as she watched the whirlwind of expressions on her best friend's face.

"Kind of?" Clint laughed nervously. "I've never been in a teenage girl's bedroom before. I just thought all girls had pink bedrooms full of ponies and unicorns and glittery stuff."

Natasha smirked. "You never snuck into a girl's bedroom when you were a kid?"

"No." Clint huffed at her. "Edith Barton raised a gentleman."

"So did Margaret and Angela Carter but I still know what my high school boyfriend's bedroom looked like." Natasha teased.

"You wouldn't be a gentleman, you'd be a lady." Clint said, rolling his eyes as he flopped onto Natasha's bed.

Natasha smirked. "Not sure my college girlfriend would agree, she found me quite gentlemanly." Clint made a face, and she laughed. Then she stretched out her leg and poked him with her toe. "Did you need something, Barton?"

"No, not really." Clint replied.

She watched him for a moment and then started to laugh. "You're too chicken shit to go downstairs without me, aren't you?" Laughing hurt but it was worth it for the look on his face. Getting out of bed, Natasha slipped on her fuzzy monkey slippers and picked up Goose to cuddle him as they headed downstairs. "Come on circus boy, I'll protect you from my super scary Mum."

"You teasing me isn't helping." Clint pouted as he got up and followed.

"Yeah," Natasha replied. "But it's fun so don't think I'm going to stop."

After Clint got over the shock of Director Carter making breakfast, nutella and strawberry crepes were one of Natasha's favorites and Peggy made the better crepes, things went a lot more smoothly than the night before. This time Clint wouldn't take no for an answer, and cleaned up after breakfast. Then he got talked into a wicked game of dominos before Natasha drug him off to the family room to watch movies.

Peggy watched the young man while he was in her home, and took to heart what both her wife and daughter had said, and knowing what Barton meant to Natasha helped her come around and agree with Angie. By the time he was walking out the door two days later with Natasha, who was driving him to the airport, Clint Barton was family.


	11. Chapter 11

Aftermath

Everything hurt. Even her hair hurt, and Natasha was fairly sure that hair shouldn't be able to hurt. Laying there in her mothers' bed she tried to take stock of her body; she was fairly sure damn near every inch of her skin was covered in bruises, her ribs hurt like hell and her breathing was slow and shallow so she had bruised if not broken ribs. Reaching up to touch her head where she knew she'd had a gash, she moaned softly as her muscles protested even that simple gesture. Clint had used some medical grade glue to patch it up after the battle, but she probably needed proper stitches. There were actually several larger lacerations all over her body that probably needed more than just field dressings, but all she'd wanted to do last night was come home and make sure her mothers were safe, and then crash into the comfort and reassurance of their bed. So she hadn't really bothered with seeking medical attention. Natasha groaned softly again, only this time it wasn't because of the pain she was in, but because she realized she was going to get an ear full about not seeing a medic.

The light coming in through the window of her mothers' bedroom told Natasha it was late morning, which explained why she was alone when she knew she'd fallen asleep sandwiched between her worried and frightened mothers. Given the pounding headache she had, she was almost certain neither one of them slept much if at all because they would have been watching her for concussion symptoms. She can add that to the list of things to feel guilty about. As carefully as she can, Natasha works on getting up out of bed and on to her feet. She yelps softly when she stands, her ankle protesting against her weight. Add that to her growing list of injuries. She knew she should take a shower before going downstairs, she could feel the grim from the last few days all over her, not to mention the itchy patches where blood had dried, but she smelled coffee and bacon and showers took energy she didn't have just yet.

Natasha wasn't trying to be stealthy as she made her way downstairs to the kitchen, she was simply trying to move in a way that caused her the least amount of pain. But she had apparently made it all the way to the kitchen door without being detected because she could hear her mothers' voices inside the kitchen and it seemed as if they weren't going to stop their conversation.

"I'm not saying that Natasha isn't good at what she does, Margaret." Angie's voice wasn't loud but it was high pitched, her fear and anger clearly changing it's normal tones.

Natasha flinched as she listened. She wasn't sure which was worse, the tone of her Ma's voice or the fact that she was calling her Mum by her real name.

"What I'm saying is that our daughter is only human!" Angie argued. "Not superhuman, not a god, not whatever the hell the Hulk is, she doesn't have powers to protect her from the kind of shit we saw her facing yesterday! She could have died, Margaret, and I will not outlive my child! So you need to fucking do something about this!"

Peggy sighed softly, tiredly. Neither of them slept much if at all last night. "What do you want me to do, Angela? Lock her in her bloody room and forbid her from being an Avenger?" Another sigh, and then Peggy's voice was softer. "Watching her in the middle of that war zone terrified me too. Seeing her laying in our bed this morning battered and bruised, broke my heart. I don't want to see her hurt, and I'm just as afraid of the possibilities that come with being on this team, but Natasha is the woman we raised her to be. She is strong, she is resilient, she is brave, and she will always choose to do the right thing even if that means putting her own life on the line to save others. We can't ask her to be anything less than that now, it wouldn't be fair to her or to us."

Natasha had tears in her eyes. She had scared her mothers so badly they were fighting over her. Slipping away from the doorway, she headed back upstairs just as quietly as she'd come down. She hadn't really thought about how her mothers would feel about her joining the Avengers, she had always been fully aware of the concern and fear they had over her being a SHIELD agent, but she didn't think that being on this team would make it worse. Then again, she hadn't really expected the first thing the Avengers to go up against would be an alien invasion led by a norse god. Maybe she should rethink this whole Avengers thing?

Going to her own room, Natasha pulled some clean clothes out of her drawers, deciding that a shower couldn't wait any longer. She couldn't step foot into the kitchen looking like she did, she didn't want to give her mothers another reminder of what had happened to her. Stepping into the bathroom and closing the door, Natasha catches sight of herself in the mirror and flinches. Her body is covered in nasty looking bruises. No wonder her mothers were so upset, they must have watched them bloom all over her body during the night. Stripping off her undershirt and shorts wasn't easy, but she managed, and slipped under the hot spray of water with a sighing hiss of pleasure and pain. If she were to ask one of her mothers for help they would gladly do so, but she wasn't going to do that. The tears mixing with the shower water and shampoo suds weren't just from the pain she was causing herself, but because of the pain she'd caused her mothers.

"Poppet?" Peggy's voice called out gently as she opened the bathroom door. "Darling, are you alright in there on your own?"

Natasha closed her eyes, and bit her lip until she was sure she could reply in a clear voice. "Yeah, Mum, I'm good."

"Are you sure, love?" Peggy frowned, not believing Natasha wasn't in terrible pain. "I can give you a hand if you need it."

"I'm good, Mum." Natasha replied. "I won't be long. I'll come down when I'm finished."

Peggy struggled with leaving but in the end she respected Natasha's request. "Come down to my study darling and I'll see what I can do for some of your more nasty injuries."

"Alright." Natasha replied. When she heard the bathroom door close she counted to thirty, giving her mother enough time to move down the hall, and then let out a little sob. She had planned on covering herself up as much as possible with leggings and a sweatshirt, but since her mother wanted to look over her injuries Natasha had to settle on shorts, a tank top, and her robe. Her mum had had her fair share of battle wounds over the expanse of her career, and was better at masking her reactions while tending to Natasha's injuries, but this time was different. This time when Natasha walked into her mother's study, she could see the toll yesterday had taken on her mother, and it made her drop her head. Reading about things in reports after the fact was a hell of a lot different than watching it unfold live on the news, and it had left her mother, her unflappable Mum, shaken to her core. "I'm sorry."

Peggy looked up from her med kit and blinked. "What on earth do you have to be sorry for, poppet?"

"Putting you and Ma through hell." Natasha replied as she made her way over to her mother.

As soon as Natasha was close Peggy gently pulled her girl into her arms and held her as tightly as she could given Natasha's myriad of injuries. "Oh my darling." Peggy sighed softly as she held her daughter in her arms. "I'm not going to lie, love. Watching everything unfold the way we did, it was incredibly hard for both of us." Releasing Natasha from the embrace she raised her hands to hold her little girl's face in her hands. "You were doing your duty, darling, fulfilling your purpose, and my love you did it bloody brilliantly. I am so incredibly proud of you, Natasha."

Natasha closed her eyes when she felt her mother gently pulling her in so that she could kiss Natasha's forehead. She could accept that her mum was proud of her, it actually meant a lot to her, but that didn't excuse her guilt for scaring them the way she had. Her mothers had been arguing that morning, and it was her fault.

Stepping back Peggy gave her little girl a warm smile as she indicated the kitchen stool she'd brought in for Natasha to sit on so she could look over her injuries. Peggy knew that Natasha would feel bad for making them worry, but what she saw in her little girl's eyes was the kind of guilt Natasha would have had as a child when she'd done something wrong. Peggy didn't understand. Natasha had nothing to feel guilty over. She had been doing her job the best she could in the situation. "Sit down poppet. Let's have a look, darling."

"Where's Ma?" Natasha asked as she took off her robe and then perching herself on the stool.

"She went to the market." Peggy answered as she began looking Natasha over with a mother's attention to detail. She had watched this body grow from newborn to young woman, and if anything was amiss she would know it. "Anything broken?"

Natasha shook her head. "Just bruised and sprained I think."

Peggy hummed. "Right ankle? You were limping when you walked over to me, putting more of your weight on your left."

"Yeah." Natasha answered. "Why did Ma go to the market so early?"

Because she needed air, Peggy thought but said, "She wants to make your favorites for dinner and she needed a few things. I also called medical and had some pain meds and antibiotics called in for you, so she's going to pick those up as well."

It was silly, she was a grown ass woman, but Natasha was a bit disappointed that her Ma wasn't here to fuss over her as soon as she showed herself. "I don't suppose she added gelato to her shopping list did she?"

"I suspect she might have done." Peggy replied as she gently examined the laceration on Natasha's head first. "I also suspect that there is a package of jammy dodgers in my desk drawer, and that just this once if you're a good girl while I stitch up this nasty gash, you may have one or two before breakfast."

"You know just last week I had an entire box of girl scout cookies for breakfast because I'm a grown up now, right?" Natasha teased. She closed her eyes as her mother prepared to stitch her up, and did her best to remain as relaxed as she could. This actually wasn't the first time her Mum had stitched her up, so she knew Peggy knew what she was doing.

"You never could be trusted around girl scout cookies." Peggy replied. "When you were seven, you ate so many thin mints you made yourself so sick that for months afterwards you'd gag just smelling mint."

While Peggy worked on each and every wound or injury that needed tending, including wrapping Natasha's ankle in an ace bandage, she told Natasha stories about herself and Angie just as she always did when her daughter was unwell. "Angie and I were still very much in the closet back then, and even though we trusted those closest to us, we were afraid of coming out to them. Ana, bless her soul, was the first to figure it out. Actually, I think she'd figured it out before we did ourselves. She told me once that it didn't take long to know when you had someone special, and then kept encouraging me to invite Angie out to L.A., but I never did."

When Natasha asked why not she explained, "When I'd decided to move to the States following the war, I had my heart set on making New York my home. I never had any intentions of staying in L.A. once the case was solved. I was going to go home, to New York, to Angie. I was afraid that if I asked Angie to come to L.A. she'd want to stay, that she would want to continue pursuing her acting career in Hollywood. So instead of asking her to come to L.A. with me, I encouraged her to take bit parts in off, off, Broadway shows and stay in the penthouse" As she checked Natasha's ribcage to see if her ribs were broken or bruised, Peggy couldn't help but smile when Natasha giggled. "When Howard started to suspect the true nature of my relationship with Angie, he started randomly dropping into the penthouse, hoping to catch us in the act instead of just asking us. That's when we decided we needed to get our own home, and how we ended up in the brownstone."

While Peggy tended to their daughter Angie knelt in one of the pews of the Episcopal cathedral in Brooklyn that had become her spiritual home since leaving the Catholic church all those years ago. Angie needed a few minutes to process everything that had happened yesterday, the things she saw, the things she felt. Aliens, 'gods', monsters, all the destruction and devastation, the people who were hurt and killed, and her little girl in the middle of it all. As Angie's fingers danced over the beads of her rosary she prayed, she prayed for the families of everyone who'd been caught up in the chaos, as well as for her own. She'd known what she was getting into with Peggy Carter. She'd known since catching Peggy limping to her apartment door at the Griffith with a busted lip for the first time that there'd been something more going on with the English woman. For a moment Angie had thought Peggy had gotten mixed up with a brute who smacked her around, and she was ready to call up every single one of her brothers to teach the bastard a lesson, but then she realized her English wasn't likely to get caught up in that kind of heartbreak. The more time she'd spent with Peggy the more she was sure her friend didn't work at the phone company, and there was a hell of a lot Peggy wasn't telling her. Knowing this, however, didn't stop Angie from falling in love with her. She accepted Peggy for who she was, and apart of who she was had often brought her home to Angie battered, broken, bloodied, and bruised. Angie didn't like it, she hated it, but it was apart of who Peggy was, and who Peggy was was the person Angie loved with all her heart. When Peggy's work started keeping her in her office and out of the field more and more, Angie wouldn't lie, she couldn't have been more pleased.

When Natasha came into their lives, Peggy stopped resenting being behind a desk more, finding her purpose in raising their baby girl instead. Angie could relax a little, not completely because Peggy was still the head of SHIELD, still had enemies, and a sense of responsibility to the world that now including keeping it safe for Natasha, making it better for Natasha, but Angie didn't have to be as worried. For awhile Angie didn't have to fear when she kissed her wife goodbye in the morning that today might be the day Peggy didn't come home. But then Nick Fury got to her daughter, and now that old fear was back a thousand fold. Natasha. Her beautiful little Christmas angel, who danced with such beauty and grace, who could speak fluent Italian, Hungairion, and Russian before she was even in sixth grade, who took Latin for fun, who'd won gold and silver medals at gymnastic competitions, could have been anything she wanted to be. Natasha. She just had to find her purpose in the same damn place as Peggy, didn't she? She just had to follow in Peggy's footsteps, and now here knelt Angie praying her way through those worries and concerns and fears again. Yesterday could have very easily been the day Natasha never came home again.

Angie sighed softly. Peggy was right. Natasha was the woman they raised her to be, and Angie was incredibly proud of her daughter. But Angie was afraid, scared to death, because she could bare a lot, Angie Martinelli-Carter was a tough old broad, but she couldn't bear losing her child.

After finishing up at the church Angie drove to the drug store for Natasha's meds, and then over to her favorite market to pick up what she would need to make carbonara, the right bottle of wine to go with it, and a couple pints of gelato, including the chocolate and orange flavor Natasha liked when she was hurt. Then she heads home, feeling stronger than she had when she'd left. She felt guilty for not being there when Natasha woke up, but she simply wasn't in the best frame of mind to deal with Natasha and everything that happened.

When she walked in to their home Angie could hear the faint murmuring of the television and she couldn't help but wonder which movie Natasha was watching, Center Stage which had always been her go to comfort movie or Black Swan which was now her second choice.

"Alright now, love?" Peggy asked as she walked out of the living and towards her wife.

"I'm sorry I was gone so long." Angie replied with a nod. "I stopped at the church first."

"I figured." Peggy replied as she took the shopping from her wife.

"Nattie?" Angie asked.

Peggy sighed softly. "Physically, she's not too bad off, nothing broken thankfully. I think she's a bit overwhelmed by it all, honestly, and she's trying not to show it. She also seems to be carrying around a lot of guilt, that I'm not sure about."

Angie thought about it for a moment. It wouldn't surprise her if Natasha was feeling bad for making them worry, especially knowing they'd seen it all play out on the news. But Peggy would know that as well, so if Peggy wasn't sure why their daughter's guilt seemed so heavy on her shoulders, than maybe, "Do you think she overheard us this morning?"

"I would have heard her." Peggy said with a shake of her head.

"You're an old spy, hon, she's a young spy." Angie teased. "It wouldn't be the first time she's snuck up on us."

Peggy huffed as she turned and headed in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm not that much older than you."

Angie laughed gently, and then took a deep breath and headed into the living room to see her little girl.

After her mother had finished fussing over her injuries Natasha changed into the leggings she'd wanted to wear, and threw on a hoodie over her tank top. She wanted to cover as many of the bandages and wraps as she could so Angie wouldn't have to see them. Sitting on the sofa with her right foot up on a pillow and bundled into a blanket from her mothers' bed, Natasha looked up from the t.v. when her Ma walked into the room. When she met her mother's gaze, she managed to hold it for a few seconds before ducking her head. "I'm sorry, Ma."

"You scared the hell out of us, Natasha Elizabeth Carter." Angie replied, a stern but gentle edge to her voice. She walked over and sat beside her daughter on the sofa and pulled the younger woman into her arms carefully. She tucked Natasha's head under her chin, making sure to be mindful of the newly stitched up gash she knew was near her hairline. "Until yesterday I could chalk up my worst fears to an overactive imagination, but now I know that even my wildest thoughts can't compare to what you're really out there doing."

"Yesterday wasn't normal for me." Natasha said, trying to be reassuring as she snuggled into her mother's arms. "We can always pretend it was just a nightmare."

"We can't do that, angel." Angie tightened her hold just a little. "What happened yesterday might not have happened before, but it could, and probably will happen again." Angie sighed. "And like it or not, you're going to be in the thick of it when it does, because your Mum and I raised a damn superhero."

"I don't have to be." Natasha said softy. "I'm not even sure I am one or if I want to be one or if I should be one. I don't have to be an Avenger, it's not like there's anything about me that makes me special. I could just go back to doing what I was doing or I could even quit, do something more diplomacy related, less espionage related. You and Mum shouldn't have to spend so much time worrying about me."

"Natasha Elizabeth Luisa Martinelli-Carter." Angie said as she pushed Natasha up gently to look her in the eyes. "Let's get some things straight right now little girl. First off, you are extraordinary. You have incredible skills and abilities that come from hard work, determination, and self discipline. You trained and studied your ass off to become what and who you are." She reached out and poked Natasha in the chest where her heart was. "You're abilities come from you, not a magic hammer, or a science experiment gone wrong, or gone right, or from a high tech suit of armor. Your power, is all you."

Angie paused when she felt Peggy tap her shoulder and hand over a couple of pills, a small bottle of yogurt smoothie, and a bottle of water which she then held out for Natasha to take. "Here, take these with the yogurt. You're going to want to coat your stomach, those are some strong doses they gave you."

Natasha gave her mothers a look when Angie held out the yogurt smoothie meant for children, but she didn't argue. She popped the meds, and washed them down with the birthday cake flavored smoothie, then took the bottle of water.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yes." Angie continued now that Natasha's meds were taken care of. "Natasha Elizabeth, you know better than to eavesdrop on your mother and me, especially if it sounds like we're arguing, because even if it sounds like we're arguing about you, it's really a matter between us." Angie felt Peggy put her hands on her shoulders as she sat on the arm of the sofa behind her. "We were both runnin' on to many emotions and not enough sleep and we were blowin' off steam at each other."

"I'm sorry." Natasha said softly.

"You should be." Angie scolded. "We raised you better than that."

"You weren't wrong though." Natasha sighed as she took mental notes of everything that hurt. "I am just human."

"Yes, you are." Peggy said firmly. "But all that means is that you need to be more mindful of some of the things you do, not that you shouldn't do it all at. I mean, honestly, was launching yourself off Steve's shield absolutely necessary, Natasha?"

"You saw that?" Natasha was a bit wide eyed. Her mother nodded and she gulped. "It's not like I had time to hail a cab and take the elevator to the top of Tony's building, Mum."

"I can understand that." Peggy replied. "I've had to make strange calls in the heat of the moment." Jumping off the upper level of a Roxxon refinery onto a moving car ran through Peggy's mind, as did stepping out onto a thin and narrow ledge, getting on top of a moving milk truck to fight a man, and those had just been within her first year in the New York office. "I also know that in those moments, when you're willing to risk everything to save the day, that there are people outside of that little bubble who are not willing to risk everything. It's all well and good to save the world, poppet, but it wouldn't be much of a world for us without you in it."

Deciding that they'd all had enough of the heavy stuff Angie decided to lighten things up a little by laughing. "Well I'll be damned, English, all these years and you were actually listening to me and Mr. Fancy when we use to tell you the same dang thing."

"Oh hush you." Peggy replied before kissing her wife's temple. Then she looked at her daughter and smiled. "I have one last question, poppet. How long had you wanted to do that?"

Natasha laughed, though not as hard as she would have liked to, given her current state of bustedness. "Awhile."

"Was it as fun as it looked?" Peggy asked with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, it was kind of awesome." Natasha answered with a bright smile.

"Really English?" Angie said with amusement and a shake of her head. Then she gently pushed her wife off the arm of the sofa. "Go make lunch, you got all the morning cuddles. It's my turn."

Her mother hadn't been joking about the strength of her meds. Natasha wasn't snuggled into her Ma for more than ten maybe fifteen minutes before she was out like a light thanks to the pain meds. Her Ma must have seen it coming because Angie had shifted them around a bit until Natasha was laying down with her head on a pillow in her mother's lap. At some point during what turned out to be a three hour nap, her mothers had switched places because as her eyes fluttered open she could see her Ma across the room on the phone, but her head was still on a pillow in someone's lap, obviously her Mum's.

"Do you honestly think I give a rat's ass what Fury wants, Steve?" Angie's voice was low, firm, and quite as not to wake Natasha. "Natasha is off limits for the next seventy-two hours." A pause as Steve replies. "Again, I don't care. My concerns are for my daughter. My priorities right now are taking care of her. Her priorities are to recover from her injuries." Another pause. "Tell me Steve, what kind of injury did you suffer?" Steve replies. "None, that's what I thought. You will all have to deal with things without her for the next few days." There's yet another pause as Angie listens, and then she rolls her eyes. "Of course you can talk to Peggy, Steve. But you're not going to get a different response from her, because we're in agreement about this. We raised a tiny spy together, Steve, do you honestly think we're going to be played off each other?"

"Is that my work phone?" Natasha whispers as she watches her mother argue with Steve apparently.

"You're mother's had it and your personal phone in her purse since last night." Peggy answers.

"That explains why I hadn't heard from anyone." Natasha sits up slowly and carefully stretches.

"May called, I made sure she knew you were alright." Peggy reassured. "Your mama grabbed your work phone before I could get to it. She's been arguing with Steve for twenty minutes."

Natasha sighed softly as she pushed off the sofa and limped over to her Ma. Holding out her hand for the phone, expecting her mother to hand it over. Instead Angie knocked her hand away and shook her head as she mouthed the words no and grounded. Natasha blinked. She watched as Angie walked over and handed the phone to Peggy, who then disappeared into the other room. "Ma?"

"You need time to heal, angel, and your Mum and me need time to fuss." Angie told her girl as she brushed at Natasha's hair. "So for the next three days you can consider yourself grounded."

Natasha groaned and rolled her eyes playfully. "I've got to be the only superhero ever who saves the world and gets grounded for it."

Angie laughed as she put her arms around her daughter to hug her.


	12. Chapter 12

Murder Bots and Weird Kids

They had been a young team still trying to learn to trust and rely on each other when the truth about Howard and Maria Stark's death and the person responsible shoved a wedge between some of the core members. Steve wanted to save his best friend. Tony wanted justice for his parents' murder. Natasha was trying her best to keep everything from falling apart. That wasn't an easy thing to do while she was also trying to keep Tony from falling apart. She'd long suspected that he'd been suffering from PTSD following the Battle of New York, but he kept shrugging it off. Starks don't have panic attacks, he'd told her after having a damned panic attack. Natasha laid into Tony relentlessly for three straight days after finding out about AIM and Aldrich Killian, and his little solo adventure that nearly got Pepper killed. "Why didn't you call your team, Anthony!" She yelled at him. "Why didn't you fucking call me!?" She'd demanded repeatedly. "Why would you go in to a situation like that without a suit, training, or backup you fucking blockhead!"

Tony had made the mistake of telling her that he eventually connected with Rhodey. Which earned James Rhodes another punch in the face, and a warning. "If he is ever in that much trouble again and you don't call me, you will be in traction for at least six months." As she was walking away, Tony helping Rhodey off the floor Natasha had heard him tell Tony, "We can't be friends anymore, man. Your cousin scares the hell out of me and won't stop beating me up." Natasha had simply smirked. Pepper she took out for a girls' night, because lord knows she needed it after what she went through. Pepper told her how it had felt to use the armor, and for a moment Natasha thought that maybe she'd given in and let Tony build her a suit of her own. Then she quickly decided she wouldn't be able to live with him if she did.

One of the things that Natasha had insisted on after finding out about Tony's little Macgyver mission into the AIM compound, was that Tony had to train with her outside of the suit. He hated the idea, but Natasha insisted that he couldn't always rely on his tech, which is why he ended up strapped to a metal bed frame. So twice a week they met in the gym of Avengers' Tower, and Natasha trained Tony in hand to hand combat, and every once in awhile she would throw in weapons training. At some point, she wasn't sure when, Steve had started joining them in the hand to hand. As it turns out, Steve had gotten the suggestion from Peggy, and it seemed to help.

Slowly the team started to find their footing again and soon Maria Hill was coming by with a new mission. A handful of off the grid HYDRA bases remained following the new HYRDA's takedown. It was a common enemy they could fight together, that would hopefully reestablish the bonds that had been growing between them before the Winter Soldier slash Bucky Barnes. There was only one problem.

"What do you mean he won't come out?" Tony demand as he stared at Bruce Banner.

"I mean, the other guy, refuses to come out." Banner replies.

"Why is he refusing to come out?" Steve asks in a much calmer and more patient manner than Tony.

Bruce is quiet for a moment. He'd been working on finding a way to work with the Hulk, trying to find some kind of balance between them. Finally he looks at them and says, "He's scared."

Tony blinks slowly. "Scared? The giant green rage monster inside of you is scared? Of what?"

"Not a what." Bruce replies. "A who."

"Ok," Steve says, intrigued by the idea himself. "Who is the Hulk scared of?"

Bruce hestatates, embarrassed by the answer. Finally he admits, "Director Carter."

Natasha blinks and Tony starts howling with laughter. "The incredible Hulk is afraid of Aunt Peggy?"

"Tony stop laughing at him." Natasha tells her cousin who is now doubled over on the sofa unable to breath from laughing so hard. "When she's pissed at you, you're afraid of her too." Then she looks at Bruce and asks, "Is this because of what happened on the helicarrier?"

"She only wants to protect you." Bruce replies.

Natasha nods her understanding. "I know that, but whatever threat she made is getting in the way of the team. As long as the Hulk knows that we're allies, he has nothing to fear from her. We're a team Bruce, you're both safe with us."

It was a start. One by one the last of the HYDRA bases fell, and with each victory the team became stronger. The final base was in Sokova, and according to recon intel it came with the added bonus of finally locating Loki's scepter, which had gone missing following the Battle of New York. Natasha's money was on it having been stolen by Rumlow, the treacherous bastard, she hoped he was suffering in whatever circle of hell if he was in. The mission was tough, the castle the base was housed in was well protected, force fields, tanks, and more soldiers than any of the others. Nothing they couldn't handle though. The issues came from Tony's bots, which the people of Sokova didn't trust, even feared, and from the enhanced kid who showed up on the battlefield. Clint got hurt, which always turned a mission sour for Natasha, even the ones they complete successfully. Cap reported another enhanced kid in the castle, and that's just what they were from the sound of it. Clint and Cap both agreed they were maybe sixteen at most.

With the scepter recovered and the base shut down, the Avengers headed home right away.

Clint had already been sent back for medical treatment. He sent her a message telling her that he was fine, that he was in good hands with Dr. Cho, and reassured her that if she wanted to stay and help she should. So Natasha stuck around to help SHIELD with the clean up. She even got the bonus of working with Sharon, which they hardly ever got to do. The two Carters assigned teams to repairs, rubble clean up, medical, and food services, while they worked one on one with the people giving help and relief where they could. The redhead in her black SHIELD uniform and the blonde in her white SHIELD uniform were quite the pair working side by side, showing the people of Sokova the true nature of SHIELD. As she worked Natasha was watched by the frightened and sceptical people around her, as well as by two frightened and confused kids in the shadows.

Natasha stuck around for a couple of days before finally having to return to New York. She checked in at the Tower to make sure the boys hadn't killed each other, and to make sure Clint was alright. Apparently Dr. Cho had grafted new synthetic skin onto Clint's wound and he couldn't wait to show it off to her. Natasha brushed her fingers over it and said, "That's cool, but Laura will be able to tell the difference."

Clint frowned. "How? It looks and feels just like real skin. It even itches like real healing skin."

"I'd know if it were May." Natasha said with a shrug and then she smiled. "Hundred bucks says Laura notices the difference."

"You're on." Clint replied and shook Natasha's hand.

Her next stop was Queens. She and May had video chatted and texted while she was working the relief mission, but she knew May wouldn't stop worrying until she was able to physically see and touch her. That had been another thing she'd slowly been working on rebuilding, her relationship with May Parker. May hadn't taken it well when she'd found out the truth about Natasha's work, about her being a SHIELD agent and an Avenger. Natasha couldn't blame her, not after losing Ben in the line of duty. But the two women had kept gravitating towards each other, even after Natasha had moved out of her apartment in Queens and into Avengers' Tower, they kept running into one another. Finally they both agreed to give it another go after May had had a long heart to heart with Angie.

Natasha stayed the night with May, and before leaving to head to Brooklyn to see her mothers asked if May would like to come to a party Tony was throwing. "You don't have too. I know the whole Avenger thing still makes you nervous."

"I think I might like to actually." May replied while combing her fingers through Natasha's hair.

"Really?" Natasha couldn't help her excitement.

May laughed and nodded. "How fancy is this party?"

"Not very." Natasha reassured. "It's just to blow off steam and spend time with people."

"Send a car for me and I'll be there." May promised.

Natasha kissed her, and relented to the fact that she was going to be late getting to her mothers.

When she finally makes it to Brooklyn it's late afternoon and Natasha looks a bit sheepish as she calls out, "Ma?" While shrugging out of her jacket and taking off her boots. "Mum?" When there was no immediate reply Natasha frowned. Heading into the living room she called out again, "Ma? Mum?" Then she heard movement upstairs, and rolled her eyes. Apparently she and May weren't the only ones spending the morning together. Flopping down on the sofa she waited and then smirked as her mothers came down the stairs. "Aren't you two getting kind of old for that sort of thing?"

"What sort of thing?" Peggy replied as if nothing whatsoever was happening upstairs.

Angie on the other hand snorted and shook her head. "Nope, not at all, will never be too old for that sort of thing, especially when your wife is hot."

"Ma, that's gross. Your wife is my mother. Mothers can't be hot." Natasha teased as she let her Ma pull her off the couch and into a hug.

Angie laughed as she pulled back to check Natasha over as she always did when her daughter came home. "So what you're saying is I'm not hot any more?"

"You're as lovely as the day we meet, my darling." Peggy was smirking. "I still quite enjoy watching you walk across a room." She let her chocolate brown gaze flicker to her wife's behind and then added, "I bet you could still fit into your old waitress uniform."

"I'm leaving now." Natasha teased, as she playfully pulled away from Angie and walked towards the door. "Nice seeing you both."

Peggy was chuckling as she grabbed Natasha as she walked past, pulling the girl into her arms. She hugged her gingerly at first, just in case, Natasha was known for trying to conceal injuries, but when Natasha didn't react as if she were hurt Peggy tightened her embrace. "Alright then, poppet?"

Natasha nodded. "Clint got hurt pretty bad." She admitted, and instantly felt her mother hold her a little closer. "But Dr. Cho patched him up. Otherwise, everything's good."

Pulling back, Peggy rested her hands on Natasha's upper arms and looked into her daughter's eyes. "Everything's good?" She asked. "What's the matter, poppet?"

"Nothing, really." Natasha said softly, a little annoyed that her mother was so good at reading her, and yet also comforted by it. Working with Sharon on a SHIELD mission had really pointed out to Natasha that she'd been working far more as an Avenger lately than a SHIELD agent, and it just didn't seem to feel right to her. "It's just, I don't know. It's just that…"

Angie could see that Natasha was getting flustered and had an idea it was work related. "Steak and potatoes for dinner." She told her family. "I'll grab some drinks after I've put it on."

Peggy gave her wife a grateful smile as she pulled Natasha back over to the sofa. Once they were seated next to one another, she said, "It's just what, darling?"

Natasha sighed as she leaned back into the sofa, letting her head fall back, and grabbing a pillow to cuddle. "I've been more of an Avenger lately than a SHIELD agent and it's starting to feel weird."

"Why does it feel weird?" Peggy shifted a bit so she was slightly turned so she was facing Natasha. With her elbow on the back of the sofa she rested her head on her hand, while playing with Natasha's hair with the other.

It took a moment before Natasha could answer because she had to think about it. Sitting so casually with her mother on their sofa in their home, it made it easier for Natasha to think. "I never thought I'd do anything else but be a SHIELD agent."

"You still are one." Peggy reassured. "You becoming an Avenger hasn't changed that. What's changed, I think, is that you've been able to find a greater sense of purpose working with the Avengers than you had with SHIELD, and you weren't expecting that."

"I think the Avengers are growing past what Fury had in mind." Natasha admitted. "It feels like we're becoming our own thing away from SHIELD in away, and that's kind of scary, and kind of exciting too."

Peggy smiled, nodding her understanding. "It feels like the Avengers are growing up."

"Sort of, I guess so." Natasha sighed. Turning her head to look at her mother she asked, "It's alright that I'm choosing the team isn't it?"

"Is that where your uncertainty is coming from?" Peggy asked, eyebrow raised, but voice soft. "My silly poppet, you choosing the Avengers over remaining at SHIELD full time is not you choosing the Avengers over me. If you choose to leave SHIELD all together, as long as you were doing what you feel is right for you, I would be absolutely fine with that, love. There are no obligations between us when it comes to SHIELD." Cupping her daughter's cheek, Peggy smiled. "I am incredibly proud of you, Natasha. Not just because you work for SHIELD, but because you worked hard to get where you are. I raised you to know your own value, Natasha, that no one else's options…"

"Yeah," Natasha said, cutting her mother off as she twisted around on the sofa so she could put her head in her mother's lap. "But yours do, Mum. I do know my own value, I do, but you options and Ma's, they will always matter to me." She sighed softly and closed her eyes as he mother combed her fingers through her hair. "And sometimes I just need to come home and hear you tell me what I already know, it's just how it works."

Peggy chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. "Well, who am I to argue if that's just how it works."

When Angie returned she came in with a glass of whiskey for Peggy, and two bottles of beer for herself and Natasha, setting Natasha's on the coffee table because she refused to sit up and vacate her head from mother's lap. It was nice for the three of them to just sit and talk about anything and everything. Natasha's love life was one of Angie's favorite topics, and was pleased to know that this time around things with May seemed to be going well. She absolutely understood May's side of things, she'd had to deal with Peggy's career choices herself, but what mattered to Angie was Natasha's happiness and May made her happy.

Natasha brought up a few details about the mission, mainly about Clint getting hurt and that the size and depth of the wound had scared her. Dr. Cho had a new healing process that helped patch him up, but Natasha was still shaken by it. Clint was her best friend, as good as a brother to her, so Peggy did her best to comfort her little girl as she spoke. She tensed up however when Natasha told them about being the one who talks the Hulk down, Peggy wasn't sure she liked Natasha's interactions with the beast. Just mentioning Natasha and the Hulk together drudged up memories of Natasha waking up screaming, covered in a cold sweat, gasping for air, with that wild frightened look in her eyes.

"Mum." Natasha said softly, catching the look in her mother's big brown eyes. "It's fine now, the Hulk isn't going to hurt me."

Peggy huffed. "If you say so my darling. But I, as your mother, stand by my threats, and my rights to cause harm to those who harm you."

Angie laughed and shook her head. "The Hulk can take down humongous alien spaceship whales, but turns into a big green chicken shit over a little ol' gal from Hampstead England who wears fluffy pink slippers around the house."

Peggy smiled as she teased, "Are you saying that those boys our daughter works with have nothing to fear from a certain tell-it-like-is girl from Brooklyn?"

"Oh hell no, I ain't sayin' that at all." Angie replied. "I'd knock Thor on his ass with his own damn hammer if he hurt my angel."

Natasha laughed and rolled her eyes. "No one but Thor can lift Mjolnir, Ma."

Before leaving late that night Natasha told her mothers that Tony was having a party on Saturday night to celebrate their recent successes, and invited them to come. There were still members of the team Peggy hadn't meet and scared yet, and Angie hadn't met anyone at all yet. She told them Tony had even invited the Howlies. "Unless of course it's too late for you, I mean, it's like after six o'clock and I would hate for you to miss Jeopardy and your bedtime."

"I think she's callin' us old again, English." Angie pouted.

"How on earth did I ever end up with such a cheeky child!" Peggy teased back while Angie laughed.

The night of the party Natasha watched from one of the balconies over the many areas of the common room. There were more people than she expected but among them were some familiar faces. Her Howling Commando uncles were playing pool with Steve and Sam. Bruce was trying not to look like he felt out of place and failing. Rhodey was talking to Sharon by the bar. Maria Hill seemed to be doing jello shots. Tony and Pepper were off in a corner talking. "I don't know half the people here."

Clint snorted. "That's more than I know." Picking up the bottle cap from his beer, which he'd placed on the railing after he'd open the bottles for himself and Nat, he held it between his fingers and narrowed his eyes. "How much you wanna bet I can hit Stark from here?"

"I don't make bets I can't win." Natasha replied before taking a drink. She lingered in hiding until May arrived and then headed downstairs to greet her. She had the biggest smile on her lips as she kissed her girlfriend hello. Then she proceeded to start introducing her to everyone.

"Finally." Maria signed thankfully as Natasha and May appoched her, Tony, Thor and Rhodey at the bar. "More women to talk to."

Rhodey moved so he was standing slightly behind Tony upon seeing Natasha. "Tony, keep your crazy ass cousin away from me."

"Which one?" Sharon asked from behind him making Rhodey jump and yelp. Thor laughed.

Natasha smirked. "Don't be such a pussy, Rhodes."

"You kiss your mama with that mouth, Carter?" Rhodes replied.

"She does actually." Came an accented reply.

Natasha spun around with the biggest smile on her face. "You came!"

Everyone who already knew each other greeted each other warmly, and Natasha introduced those who didn't. "Thor, these are my parents, Peggy and Angie Carter, and my girlfriend May Parker."

"I am greatly honored to meet the mothers and paramour of the Black Widow." Thor replies with a bow. "She is a most trusted ally and dearest of friends."

"We're still working on getting him to talk normal." Tony teased as he handed his aunts a couple of drinks. "Aunt Peg, Aunt Angie, you remember Rhodey."

"It's a please to meet you Thor." Peggy greeted the blonde 'god' and then smiled at Tony's friend. "Of course we do. It's nice to see you again, Colonel."

"You as well Director Carter." Rhodey replied.

"So what's the issue between you two?" Angie asked, looking between Natasha and Rhodey.

"Oh it's nothing." Tony replies. "Natasha just keeps punching him in the face. It's no big deal."

"Natasha!" Peggy tries to sound stern but it comes out as a laugh.

"What?" Natasha replies. "He keeps screwing Tony over so he gets punched in the face. He'll learn eventually."

"Yeah," Angie laughs as Peggy shakes her head and chuckles. "Best word of advice we can give any one is not to mess with our Huey, Dewey and Louie."

"Who are these Huey, Dewey, and Louie of which you speak?" Thor asks.

Maria laughed, "They're not people, Thor, they're animated ducks."

"They're nicknames, big guy." Natasha explains. "Ma's been calling Sharon, me, and Tony that since we were kids."

"Ah." Thor replies. "I wish to learn more about these ducks."

"Come on, Point Break, I'll hook you up." Tony smiles and leds Thor away.

"Director Carter, can I ask you a quick question?" Maria tosses in when the conversation lags.

"No work crap, Maria." Natasha grumbles.

"I know, but it's just a quick one." Maria replies.

Peggy smiles at the younger woman and nods. "Go ahead Maria, what is it?"

"How on earth did you put up with Hank Pym?" Maria groaned. "He's been calling me all damn day bitching that he was alerted to someone accessing some of his old research. I keep telling him we don't have an old robotics research of his, but he keeps yelling about SHIELD never changing."

"As far as I'm aware Hank took all of his work with him." Peggy frowned, thinking back to the bad break between SHIELD, Howard, and Hank Pym. "I wasn't even aware he was working on robotics." She hummed softly and then smiled reassuringly at Maria. "I'll give him a ring on Monday morning, see if I can't sooth out his feathers a bit, if he won't talk to me I'll try reaching out to Hope."

"Ok, enough shop talk." Angie said, noticing the twinge of sadness in Natasha's eyes at the mention of her childhood friend. "I can hear Dum Dum clear across the room. Come on English, time to prove you can still drink the 107th under the table."

"Wait," Maria says as she, Natasha, May and Sharon watch the older couple walk off. "Are they serious?"

Natasha laughed. "Oh yeah, come on, you have to see this."

"You go on." Sharon said, spotting someone she wanted to talk to. "I'm still traumatized from the last time when Dum Dum passed out and fell into the bbq grill."

Out of the corner of her eye Natasha watched as Sharon made her way over to Sam Wilson and frowned a bit. But the moment was quickly forgotten as she was swept up in the party again. Natasha always loved hearing the stories her mother and uncles would tell, and now with Steve back, there were new ones.

"Alright Pegs, settle somethin' for me." Dum Dum said, his words slurred a bit. "Whose a better kisser, Cap or my Lorraine."

Peggy choked on her drink and then punched Dum Dum in the arm.

"Wait, you kissed Lorraine?" Steve stared at Peggy with wide eyes.

"It was before you and I were a thing." Peggy replied with a huff.

Steve started to laugh. "So, when you picked up that pistol and shot at me, where you mad because she kissed me or because I kissed her?"

"I thought you said you weren't kissing her." Peggy replied. "That it was just her kissing you?"

"You shot at Steve over a dame?" Angie laughed hard.

"Can't speak for Aunt Lorraine, but unless he's gotten better since we were on the run from Rumlow, Steve sucks." Natasha said without thinking, killing all the laughter instantly. When she realized what she said she covered her mouth and mumbled. "Shit."

"Rogers!" Peggy glared at Steve. "You'd better have that bloody shield of yours nearby!"

After walking May down to the car, she had to get home to Peter and insisted that Natasha stay and continue enjoying the party with her friends, Natasha returned to the common area and instantly spotted Sharon and Sam. They looked awfully cozy and Natasha needed to know why. She kept an eye on her cousin until Sharon was on her own and then walked over and grabbed Sharon by the hand, pulling her into a little nook on the upper balcony where they could talk. "What is going on with you and Wilson?"

"Me and Wilson?" Sharon squeaked.

"Yes, you and Sam, what the hell Sharon?" Natasha demanded.

Sharon blushed.

"Are you kidding me?" Natasha said, staring wide eyed at her cousin. "Sharon! You were suppose to be out there looking for Barnes! You need to find him before Wilson finds him for Cap."

"There's been a change in tactics." Sharon huffed at the redhead. "Sam and I kept crossing paths, and we figured we'd have better luck finding him if we worked together."

"And when did working together turn into fucking each other?" Natasha asked.

"Not too long ago actually." Sharon blushed harder. "You're not allowed to be mad at me, Nat! You're the one who told me to give sleeping with the enemy a go, remember?"

Natasha opened her mouth to argue and then closed it when she realized that Sharon had a point. She smirked instead. "So, how is he?"

"Nat!" Sharon laughed.

By the end of the night, or more around the wee hours of the morning, after everyone else had gone home to their beds, the core six remained along with Sharon, Sam, Maria, and Rhodey. Tony had taken Pepper to the airport at some point during the night, and returned with a ton of Chinese takeout. They gathered in the main seating area and talked, laughed, and teased each other. It was the perfect way to end what had been a really great night. Natasha couldn't remember the last time she'd had such a good time, or had been able to just relax with her family and her friends. Clint started something about Thor's hammer, and Natasha rolled her eyes from where she was cuddled up with Sharon on the soft. "And here it comes, who needs a tape measure when you have a magic hammer."

Maria snorted beer through her nose but none of the boys seemed to notice.

"Nat, you wanna give it a go?" Clint asked once all the boys were finished making fools of themselves.

Natasha held up her beer in a sluate and shook her head. "No thanks, no office to Thor, but I don't need a magic hammer to tell me my worth. I know my value."

Of course they couldn't have a totally perfect night. Apparently Tony and Bruce had been working on a secret project based on an old Hank Pym theory. A project that resulted in an evil death robot overlord. The thing appeared like some nightmarish metal marionette, the damn thing even creepily sang that no strings on me song from Pinocchio. They should have seen this coming, they should have known Tony would do something like this after finding out about his parents, but he hadn't shown the same manic behavior he had in the past. They thought he was ok, Natasha thought he was ok, but clearly he wasn't. He turned his fear into a mechanical monster that wanted to kill them all. She'd also thought the team was ok, that they were solid again and in an even better place than before, but they were right back to sniping at each other and mistrusting each other.

"Cap's right." Natasha says as she pushes away from the wall. "Tony, you wanted a suit of armor around the world, but the armor is useless without a human heart inside of it. What the world needs is us, we're the protection it needs, we're the protection it has. That is, has been, and will always be our purpose." She looks each and everyone of them in the eye. "So get yourselves in check, boys. It's time to do our damn jobs."

Steve smiled proudly. "You heard her boys, suit up. I've learned over the years that's it normally best to do what a Carter says."

Something wasn't right. They'd tracked Ultron to a shipping yard off the coast of Africa. He had the two enhanced kids with him, a boy with white hair and a girl with red. The kids seemed to have something against Tony, and the way the boy kept looking at the weapons stockpile, Natahsa would have to guess it had something to do with Stark Industries pre-Tony's kidnapping. They were fighting mercenaries, and bots, and those kids after talking Ultron down failed. But now, Natasha couldn't explain it, but something wasn't right.

Natasha walked up the stairs slowly, and pauses in the doorway. Her chest is tight, and she can't take in a full breath. She runs her hands over her black skirt, and tugs at her black suit jacket, the collar of her white blouse feels tight around her throat. She takes a breath, the air is cold and crisp. She steps inside and makes her way across the entryway, her black heels clicking against the stone loudly like heavy thumps. She hesitates crossing the second threshold. This doesn't feel right. She closes her eyes and takes a breath. She steps through the archway and begins walking down the aisle to the front. There's no one in the church yet, just two easels with enlarged pictures she picked out herself. Sharon handled the flowers. She stands there alone. Her heart is breaking, she can't breathe! Something's not right. She closes her eyes, she takes a breath. She opens her eyes and takes her seat in the first pew. People arrive, she can hear their whispers.

"She must have been such a disappointment."

"Couldn't even protect them, after all they gave to her."

Natasha doubles over in her seat, her stomach knotted up in pain. She closes her eyes, takes a breath. She opens her eyes. A boys' choir sings, Natasha turns towards the aisle and watches. The first coffin is draped in the Union Jack because full honors were given. Steve and Tony bear its weight on their shoulders, and place it gently down in the front. Steve takes a seat behind her. Tony walks back up the aisle. The second coffin is draped in white roses, Sharon has taken Steve's place beside Tony, baring its weight as they walk it down to be placed by the first. Something's not right! Natasha closes her eyes, she takes a breath.

"My aunts didn't need to die." Sharon's voice is hard and cold. Natasha opens her eyes and looks up, her cousin stands at the marble podium, she is angry, her Carter brown eyes burn with fire. "They could have been saved." Sharon had Peggy's eyes, eyes now locked on Natasha. "You could have saved them."

"You should have gone after him yourself, Nattie." Tony says as he uses his phone to throw up holo-video of the Winter Soldier murdering his parents. "You should have put an end to him."

Only it wasn't Howard and Maria in the images. It wasn't Howard's face he was beating in, or Maria's throat he was crushing. It was Peggy. It was Angie. Her mothers were dead. SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT!

"Nat!" Clint's voice was panicked as he gently shook Natasha trying to snap her out of whatever the hell that girl had done to her. "Natasha, damnit, come on!" He gently slapped her cheeks, then less gently slapped them. "Someone give me a goddamn phone!" He doesn't know who hands it to him and he doesn't care. He dials a number and as soon as he hears the voice on the other end he says, "I can't explain right now but I need you to say her name, please, I just, I need you to say her name, I need you talk to her. She needs to hear your voice."

Clint pressed the phone to Natasha's ear and the voice on the other end tries to hide her sudden panic and concern. "Poppet?" Peggy's voice was clear and gentle. "Nattie, darling, it's Mummy. Are you there? Natasha, love, answer Mummy please."

Natasha's eyes start to flutter, her breaths become less shallow, and she whimpers softly.

"Poppet?" Peggy continues. "Alright my darling? Talk to Mummy, Natasha."

"Mum?" Natasha replies groggily.

"Yes my darling, it's me." Peggy says. "What's going on, Nattie? What's got Clint so frightened? What's happened to you, love?"

Natasha whimpers softly again. "Don't know. Something, something's in my head." She sits up on her own, taking the phone from Clint and holding it on her own. "Are you alright? Is Mama alright? Are you safe? Mummy, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, poppet, Mama and I are both just fine." Peggy reassures, her heart breaking at the pure terror in her little girl's voice. "We're safe, we're fine, darling. Angie, love, talk to Natasha."

"Hey baby, you ok, angel?" Angie's voice asks. "You got your Mum a bit frazzled over here baby girl, what's going on?"

"Not sure." Natasha said honestly, her eyes darting around the quinjet. How the hell did she get on the quinjet? "I'm alright now. I'm ok." She wasn't, but at least she was awake and out of that nightmare. "I'm going to kick Clint's ass for this." She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I need you both to go someplace safe, just, please, stay safe. I'd tell you not to worry but it would be a waste of breath. I'll check in as soon as I can, I promise. I love you, both of you. Stay safe."

After hanging up, Natasha threw the phone at Clint. "Why would you do that to them!?"

"Because you wouldn't snap out of whatever the hell that little witch did to you and you kept muttering something about them being dead." Clint replied. "I had to do something!"

"Well, now they're freaked out and they're going to worry." Natasha huffed at him, but that didn't stop her from leaning into him when he sat beside her and put his arms around her. "Where are we going?"

"Some place safe." Clint replied.

The Barton farm was almost as good as the faded red brick brownstone. The first time Clint had brought her here Lila was a newborn, and Laura had been incredibly sweet about him bringing home a mission weary redhead who couldn't go home herself just yet. Clint had gone straight into dad mode and took charge of Lila and Conner, giving Laura a much needed break, and time for her and Natasha to get to know one another. The two became close almost instantly, and Natasha knew that some days Clint wondered if it had been such a great idea to let the two women he spent most of his time with bond that closely. Today wasn't one of those days. Natasha was still shaken up by her vision, though she was fully out of the nightmare that kid had put her through, her mind flashed with the images from it.

"Honey?" Clint called out as he helped Natasha into the house. "I'm home! And I've brought company."

Natasha pushed away from Clint, not wanting Laura and the kids to see her weak. She watched Clint light up at the sight of his very pregnant wife, and then turned to watch the array of reactions from the rest of the team. She was smirking at Tony's comment about little agents when she heard her name.

"Daddy, did you bring Auntie Nat?" Lila asked her father. "You promised you'd bring her with you when you came back."

Clint hummed softly as he set his daughter on her feet. "Did I bring Auntie Nat? Hmm, I don't know, I had this strange redhead with me. You might want to check."

Natasha hid for all of three seconds before allowing herself to be caught and scooping Lila up into her arms. "Hi there ladybug!" Lila's squeal of joy at seeing her, and Laura's warm hug chased away the lingering flashes of her nightmare, at least for now. After Natasha reassured Lila that the rather large men in weird costumes were her friends, Lila slipped out of Natasha's arms to greet them. Natasha turned to Laura and smiled, "How's little Natasha doing?"

Laura bit her lip and admitted, "It's little Nathaniel I'm afraid."

With a pout firmly in place Natasha leaned in close and whispered to Laura's belly. "Taitor." Then pointed behind her to the rest of her team who were all looking at Lilia like she was something strange and perhaps dangerous. "Do you see the sausage fest I already have to deal with?"

"Nat!" Laura laughed as she gently slapped the other woman's arm, before curling her fingers around Natasha's upper arm in a comforting way. "Are you alright, Nat?"

"I'm fine." Natasha lied. "Or as fine as can be expected anyway."

Laura hummed knowingly and shook her head. "You're room is clean and waiting for you. Why don't you take a shower and get some rest before dinner?"

Natasha wasn't about to sleep any time soon. "A shower sounds amazing."

Showers could be just as bad as sleeping when it came to the mind running away with thoughts and getting lost in emotion. So Natasha made sure to put on music to occupy her mind. It didn't help much, while it kept her from dwelling on her nightmare, it couldn't distract her from what had actually happened. Thor said something about the girl doing it, that she had somehow been able to manipulate their minds. None of them talked about what the girl had made them see, but Natasha had a feeling that if it were anything like what she saw, then the kid had used their greatest fears against them. Gods and monsters didn't scare Natasha, a world without her mothers in it, not being able to keep them safe, that's what scared Natasha.

When she walked into her room she couldn't help but smile at the pile of clothes laid out for her on the bed. Laura must have brought them in while she was in the shower. After drying her hair she slipped on the leggings, the soft purple t-shirt, and grabbed a hoodie out of the closet. Then she went downstairs to help Laura and play with the kids.

"I thought I sent you upstairs to rest?" Laura said when Natasha entered the kitchen.

"I'm fine, Laura." Natasha reassured.

"You didn't look fine when Clint brought you in." The other woman pointed out as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Natasha took over making dinner without responding to her friend's concerned glares. Not until she was sure they were the only two in the house, the guys were outside thumping their chests, and the kids were playing upstairs. Natasha moved around the Barton's kitchen as easily as her own or her mothers', as she did so, she said, "There's this kid, has these weird powers, can make people see things."

"What kinds of things?" Laura asked gently.

"My mothers' deaths." Natasha whispered.

Laura moved to the other woman without hesitation and pulled her into her arms. She did her best to reassure Natasha, reminded her that her mothers were alright after Natasha told her about the phone call. Natasha confessed that what made it all so much worse, was knowing she would have to face that fear one day. Laura told her it was true, but that when the time came it wouldn't be Natasha's fault. She reassured her friend that she could never be a disappointment, no one doubted that Natasha would take care of her mothers, that she would keep them safe to the best of her ability and then some. They had the whole softly spoken conversation, still holding onto the embrace, until Clint walked in. "Everything alright in here?"

Laura smiled, "Everything's fine."

Natasha pulled away from her friend's embrace and smirked as she tried to wipe away a few tears. "I'm trying to steal your woman Barton go away, you're throwin' off my game."

Clint could tell Natasha was upset, he also knew Laura had it handled, so he chose to ignore the tears. "Don't you have your own woman, Carter?"

"Who says I don't want a harem?" Natasha teased. "All of the most beautiful women and men I want when I want."

"I'm not joining your harem." Clint replied.

"I wasn't going to ask you to." Natasha's eyes were finally clear and bright as she teased her best friend. Coming here was almost as good as going home because it was home too. "I said beautiful men and women."

"You're mean." Clint pouted.

Laura laughed as she kissed him. "Don't pout, I think you're very handsome. I don't even mind the icky feeling fake skin."

Natasha laughed triumphantly. "I told you! Pay up Barton!"

Natasha wasn't surprised when Fury showed up, but she was disappointed. She'd been hoping for just a little more time to recuperate from the girl's attack before she went back out into the field, but it didn't seem like she was going to get the chance. Ultron was at Dr. Cho's, so that's where Natasha was sent along with Steve and Clint. Tony had his part to play in the plan. Thor took off. Bruce was trying really hard to stay calm. They headed to Seoul, to Dr. Cho's facility, and ended up in a car chase with Tony's murder bot, because honestly when was there not a car chase when they were trying to save the world.

If her mothers knew half the things she actually did on mission they would never let her out of the house again. Riding a massive storage crate between a flying truck and the quinjet was one of those things. She was almost safe, almost back on the jet, when she feels the painful metal grip on her angle. "Fuck!"

Ultron takes her back Sokova and locks her in a cell.

Tony is beyond livid when he gets back to Avengers' Tower and is told that they lost Natasha. His fear was already riding high at an eleven and hearing that his creation had his cousin, it just jack it up to a thirteen. He had to find Natasha, he had to rescue her and bring her home safe and sound to his aunts. He couldn't lose Natasha, it would break him beyond repair to lose Natasha. That was his priority now and no one was going to get in his way. "Nat's biosignature in embedded in Jarvis' programming. The only way we're going to find her is if we bring him back!"

"No, Tony, this is a bad idea!" Bruce argued. "You can not put Jarvis into this thing!"

"I'm not going to lose, Nat!" Tony looks Bruce in the eyes. "She has been in my corner through the best and worst of my life since the day she came into it. I will not lose her. Now either help me, Banner, or get the fuck out of my lab!"

Bruce has never seen that look in Tony's eyes before, that kind of devotion and love. He nods. Steve isn't so willing to see past Tony's mistakes. They fight because of course they do, and then Thor shows up and wakes up the machine inside what Wanda, the little witch, had called the cradle. They switch from physically fighting each other to arguing over what to do with it. Thor insists that it's the only thing that can defeat Ultron now, and help against an even bigger threat later to come, but all Steve sees is another threat, one that could be greater than the one they're already facing. No one is listening to each other, no one is willing to bend, and they're all about to break.

"That is quite enough gentlemen!" Peggy Carter's voice cuts through the chaos. Her heels clack against the floor, crushing broken bits of glass as she walks towards them. "There is a high level enemy hostile out there plotting world destruction and you lot are standing here fighting like preschoolers!" She looks at each and every person in the room whether she knows them or not. "You are all better than this!"

"Peggy…"

"Shut up Captain Rogers. I am speaking." Peggy said it as an order and watched as Steve stood at attention. She walked over to the red and green robot, for lack of a better word, and looked up at it's face. "You seem to be the reason this team is here bickering between each other rather than out there fighting Ultron and searching for their missing teammate."

"I'm afraid I am, Ms. Carter." Vision replies.

"Jarvis?" Peggy questions, blinking in surprise.

"Not quite." The robot replies and then looks up at the others. "Nor am I Ultron. I am, just... I am." It looks down at Peggy again and tilts its head a bit. "Natasha is Sokova, in the HYDRA base, she is alive."

"Is that supposed to convince us you're on our side?" Steve asks it.

"I am on the side of life." It replies. "I am on the side of returning a child to her mother. Is that not the side you are on, Captain Rogers?"

Steve just stares at it, but then he looks over at Peggy. "What do you think?"

"I have never gone wrong trusting in a Jarvis before now, and if this vision of Ultron's has even a small piece of Jarvis in him, then he deserves a chance." Peggy replies, and then once again turns to look at Steve. "I also think that you of all people should know better than to judge something, or someone, before they've had a chance to prove themselves." Stepping over to where Thor had placed his hammer Peggy picks it up and walks it over to him and holds it out. "Now if you lot will stop wasting bloody time, will you please go rescue my daughter and save the damn world."

No one moved. The Avengers all stood there staring, eyes wide, mouths agape.

"What?" Peggy asked, confused, still holding Mjolnir.

Steve smiles as Thor takes his hammer. "I'm not surprised in the least."

When Natasha comes to she's laying on the floor surrounded by parts and pieces of machinal things. It's freaky really, like something out of a horror movie. She tries to move carefully so she isn't noticed, but she's barely able to open her eyes before it's talking to her. She isn't paying much attention to him, he's rambling about looking beautiful and becoming stronger. Natasha's focus was getting the hell out of there, but how was she supposed to do that locked in a cell with murder bots all around her. Thankfully she didn't have to worry about it for too long. Something was happening outside the castle base where she was being held that drew Ultron away, and not long after his departure Clint showed up. What surprised Natasha, what made her jump to her feet and search out a weapon, was the girl with him. "What the hell's going on?"

"It's alright, Nat." Clint reassured her as he picked the lock on her cell. "The kids switched sides."

"Ultron wants to end the world." Wanda says softly. "We do not want to harm anyone else, we don't want to help him end things. We just wanted… We just…"

"Stark weapons killed their parents, Nat." Clint tells her. "They're not the bad guys, just confused and hurt kids is all. She helped me find you, her brother's helping Cap clear the people out."

Natasha stood there for a moment once out of her cell and just looked at the girl. "Stay the hell out of my head."

Wanda nods. "I'm sorry."

"Lets go." Natasha replies.

Once clear of the base Natasha wastes no time jumping into battle with her team. She and Clint work alongside the kids, doing their best to keep them focused. The boy seemed ready and willing to do anything, but the girl was hesitant and scared. The more she watched them the more Natasha realized these were soldiers, they were just kids with freaky powers who were being used. For a moment, huddled behind cover Natasha found herself thinking about Dottie Underwood, a child used and abused, turned into a weapon and nothing more.

"I didn't say we leave." Natasha said as she stood beside Steve after catching up to him. Tony is trying to make this right, trying to find a way to protect the earth below them. Thor and Hulk, and something Steve called Vision were fighting Ultron. Clint and the kids were still working on the civilians. She and Cap were taking a second to catch their breaths."There's worse ways to go." She looked out over the clouds, puffy and white and thought about all the times she would look up as a little girl and wonder what it would be like to reach out and touch a cloud. "Where else am I going to get a view like this?"

"It is a very pretty view, poppet." Peggy's voice cut in over their comms. "But I think I can give you a better one."

Natasha gasped, her eyes getting wider as she watches an old helicarrier rise above the edge of the flying city. "Mum? Are you on that thing? What are you doing here?"

"It's your Mama's book club night, I was dreadfully bored, so I thought I'd bring the ol' girl out of mothballs and put her to good use." Peggy replied.

"Are you talking about yourself or the helicarrier?" Natasha teased.

"Now look here you cheeky little monkey." Peggy replied with amusement.

Natasha laughed, her eyes full of wonder as she watched evac boats launch from the helicarrier. "You're amazing, Mum, you know that?"

She'd always worked with Fury, even in the beginning when her mother was still at SHIELD, when she was still the Director, Natasha hadn't gotten to actually work with her. Getting to do so now, even in the midst of the chaos and pending doom, it was amazing. Her mother's voice in her ear was strong and confident as she called out orders, and for the first time since the shipping yard, Natasha could breath and she no longer felt the constant trembling under her skin that she hadn't been able to shake.

When it was over, when Ultron was defeated and they were flying away from what used to be Sokova, Natasha hadn't lost anyone. In fact she got to stand and watch her mother command a freaking helicarrier, safe, sound, alive, and honestly rather enjoying herself. She knew without any doubt that her Ma was waiting at home for them, and that when they got there Natasha would listen and watch as Angie gave Peggy hell over this. Natasha was going to get to go home to her faded red brick brownstone and be with her mothers. The little witch however, her home was gone, her brother was gone, she was all that was left.

Walking over to the girl Natasha sits beside her and speaks in Sokovian. "I know this isn't going to help right now, it's all to fresh, raw, and confusing, but your brother died a hero. Nothing that happened before that matters, that does, that matters, he matters."

Wanda turned to look at the older woman with shock on her face. She didn't know what to say.

Natasha smiled at the girl and put her arm around her. "What's your name little witch?"

"Wanda." The girl replies. "You speak Sokovian?"

"I'm Natasha." Natasha tells her. "I speak Russian and Hungeraian, so Sokovian wasn't hard to pick up." She smiled at the girl again. "Close your eyes Wanda, get some rest."

Peggy didn't know all the details about what happened to Natasha. She knew that the child had powers of some type, and that she'd used them on Natasha. She knew that it was the cause of Clint's phone call, and Natasha's frightened state over the phone. Peggy's instinct to protect her child from the girl with the weird powers was strong, but she remained where she was, watching and smiling. The girl had hurt Natasha deeply and yet there sat her daughter comforting the girl despite it. Peggy had never been more proud of the woman her little girl had grown into.


	13. Chapter 13

Ana Néni Kis Csillaga

Peggy was not a very heavy sleeper, she hadn't been since the war. Though she was normally pretty good at waking up only over sounds that were out of the ordinary, and not the everyday sounds of lives lived around her. The sounds that drew her from her sleep at five in the morning on a Saturday were not normal sounds for her household, and they were coming from her daughter's room. Slipping out of bed carefully so she wouldn't wake her wife, Peggy slid her feet into her slippers and pulled on her dressing gown. As quietly as she could the spy crept the short distance between her room and Natasha's. Pausing outside the door she listened, the sound of a drawer opening and closing, soft bare footfalls on the floor, soft humming. Peggy raised a brow and slowly opened Natasha's bedroom door. Peggy watched for a moment as her six year old moved about her room and blinked.

"Poppet, darling, it's five a.m. what are you doing awake?" Peggy asked the girl.

Natasha stopped shoving her pretty nightgown with the bright flowers on it into her little bag and looked up at her mother. "It's the fourteenth today, tomorrow is the fifteenth, Mummy."

"Is it?" Peggy replied, not understanding in her sleepy state.

"Ahuh," The little redhead replies. "Uncle Jarvis will be here to pick me up."

Jarvis? Why would Jarvis be picking her up and at this ungodly hour? Oh! Peggy chuckled softly. Tomorrow was the anniversary of Natasha's christening and they always spent the day with Ana Jarvis. This year they had agreed to a sleepover at the Jarvis' because Natasha wanted to make her godmother breakfast on their special day, just like she did for them on Mother's Day. Walking over to her little girl Peggy scooped her up into her arms and started carrying out of the room. "Uncle Jarvis isn't going to come calling until a more socially acceptable hour, darling. It's back to bed little miss."

"Mummy." Natasha giggled as she was carried off. She pointed over her mother's shoulder towards her room. "My bed is back there."

"You woke Mummy up on her day off, and now you must pay the cuddle fine." Peggy told the girl while rubbing the tips of their noses together. "And I have a feeling that the only way to keep you in bed until at least eight is to squish you between me and Mama."

Natasha sighed dramatically, resigned to her fate, and then smiled when her Mummy laughed.

"You are such a little drama queen, Nattie, just like your Mama." Peggy teased as she laid Natasha on the bed between herself and Angie.

At seven-thirty when Angie woke up she was slightly confused as to why she didn't feel Peggy pressed up against her back. Rather than feeling her wife's full chest against her upper back, there seemed to be a small butt pressed into the small of her back. Angie smiled, and carefully turned over to find one of her favorite sights. Peggy was asleep on her side, facing towards her, and had her arms wrapped around their daughter. Natasha was snuggled into her her mummy, her head tucked under Peggy's chin, her little arm slung over Peggy's neck, her little leg draped over Peggy's wasit. They both looked so peaceful and sweet, and it melted Angie's heart.

Not long after Angie awoke Peggy was as well. She explained why they had a bed buddy, and Angie laughed. Once Natasha was awake she was all about getting ready to be picked up again. When Peggy couldn't take the little girl bouncing in their bed any longer, she let her run off after a morning cuddle and then called out after, "Don't pack like your Mama! You're only going over night!"

"Hey!" Angie protested while slapping her wife's arm.

While Peggy supervised Natasha's packing, Angie had made breakfast. The three sat around the kitchen table together, Peggy glancing through her paper as she sipped her coffee and picked at her eggs and toast, and Natasha bouncing out of her seat every time she heard a car drive by. Angie shook her head. "Natasha, pop out of that chair one more time and I'm going to pop your bottom. Sit down and eat your breakfast."

"But Mama…" Natasha whined.

"Do as your mother says, Natasha." Peggy scolded, giving her child a soft glare.

Natasha pouted and crammed a piece of marmalade covered toast into her mouth.

Thankfully Jarvis arrived at ten a.m. on the dot because Natasha was working her mothers' patience and inching closer and closer to a time out or a smack on the bottom. After getting lots of hugs, kisses, and reassurance from her mothers about her first overnight away from them, Natasha took her uncle's hand with a huge smile.

"Don't worry Ms. Carter." Jarvis said at the door. "We shall take very good care of her."

Peggy smiled. "I know you will, Mr. Jarvis." Then she looked down at her daughter. "Be a good girl, Natasha."

"I will." Natasha promised.

"Have fun baby." Angie said, giving her little girl another kiss.

"Mama." Natasha giggled. "That's anuff kisses."

Angie laughed. "You can never have too many mama kisses."

Natasha pulled gently at her uncle's hand. "Come on Uncle Jarvis, before Mummy kisses me again too."

"Well now I just feel cheated." Peggy pouted.

Natasha let go of Jarvis' hand long enough to hug and kiss her mummy again and then practically pulled him out the door, down the steps, into the car. He sat her in the back seat and buckled her seatbelt for her, and then slipped behind the wheel. While Jarvis drove them to the Stark mansion, and the little cottage on the estate that was the Jarvis home, Natasha filled her uncle in on what she'd been up too. School was good, but the best bits were her learning new steps in dance class, and how much fun her new aikido class was, and, "Mummy said I can try gym-nasti-acts this summer!"

"My goodness," Jarvis replied with a warm smile. "What a busy little bee you'll be."

Natasha giggled.

When they arrived at the Jarvis home, Jarvis carried Natasha's little bag while holding tightly to her little hand. As he closed the door behind them once they were inside he called out, "Ana, dear, I've a surprise for you."

"Uncle Jarvis," Natasha whispered. "Am I the surprise?"

"You are indeed little Miss. Carter." Jarvis replied, his smile warm and his eyes bright and twinkling.

Natasha giggled again. She knew that her Mummy and Uncle Jarvis had known each other for a very long time, and it seemed a little silly that they called each other Ms. Carter and Mr. Jarvis, especially since everyone else used their first names. But Natasha just figured that it was like when Mummy called her poppet, or Mama called her angel, they were names that meant something special between them.

"What have you brought me, dear husband?" Ana Jarvis asks in her lilting accented voice as she came out of the other room and into the foyer.

Natasha bounced on her feet as she said, "It's me!"

Ana gasps softly, eyes wide, smile bright. "Oh you've me a tiny little Carter! I do so enjoy tiny little Carters."

Running over to her godmother when Ana crouches down, Natasha hugged her tightly around the neck.

"Hello my little star." Ana says in Hungarian. It had actually been Peggy's very sweet idea for Ana to teach Natasha Hungarian as she herself would be teaching the girl Russian. As it turned out, the little one had a gift for languages, and Ana had been throwing in some Herbrew and Yiddish here and there as well. "What a wonderful surprise you are."

"I'm staying with you until tomorrow." Natasha told her godmother in Ana's native language.

While Ana's surprise at seeing Natasha had been a bit exaggerated for the girl's amusement, her surprise now was genuine. Looking up at her husband. "A sleepover?"

Jarvis beamed a warm and loving smile at his beloved wife. "Ms. Carter and Ms. Martinelli graciously agreed to allow us to keep little Miss. Carter until dinner tomorrow evening."

Ana beamed as she picked Natasha up and twirled her around. "This is wonderful! What shall we do with so much time together, little star?"

"Anything you want, Néni." Natasha replies, using the Hungarian word for aunt.

Setting the girl on her feet Ana hums softly and taps her chin as she pretends to think. Of course they were going to do one of their favorite outings together. "I think the zoo and lunch in the park."

Natasha smiled happily. "Yes! I love the zoo!"

It didn't take long for them to get ready which was good because the prospect of spending the afternoon at the zoo with her godmother had ramped up Natasha's excitement. Just like she had with Jarvis on the drive over, Natasha filled Ana in on what she'd been doing as he drove them to Central Park. As soon as they stepped foot out of the car Natasha took Ana's hand and kept hold of it as they walked through the park to the zoo's entrance. Once inside the zoo the pair was a sight to see. Natasha pulled Ana from one exhibit to another. When Natasha did let go of Ana's hand, the tall slender redhead chased the tiny giggling redhead along the paths. Their smiles and their laughter warmed Jarvis' heart as he trailed behind them watching their merriment and joy at being in each other's company.

Though Ana insisted that she held no regrets over not being able to have children of her own, Jarvis still carried quite a bit of guilt over it, since he still considered it his fault they couldn't. Ana insisted that Tony and Natasha were enough for her, getting to help raise Tony and spending time with Natasha like this, were blessings to her. Jarvis couldn't help thinking about how wonderful she would have been with children of their own.

Jarvis was pulled out of his thoughts by the feeling of a small hand sliding into his. Looking down into Natasha's smiling face he was taken aback for a moment at how easily she could pass as their child with her red hair and blue-green eyes.

"Uncle Jarvis," Natasha says brightly as she pulls her uncle towards an enclosure. "Néni says you have to tell me about the flamingos."

Jarvis shuddered which caused his wife to laugh. "I despise flamingos."

"Why?" Natasha asked as she blinked up at her rather tall uncle.

Picking Natasha up with ease, Jarvis set her on his hip so she could see the bright pink birds better as he told her the tale of Bernard Stark, the Devil in Pink himself.

After they finished exploring the zoo the couple and their niece found a nice restaurant for lunch, and then had ice cream for dessert. When they arrived back at the Jarvis home, Natasha had to be carried in by her uncle because she'd fallen asleep in the car on the way home. When she woke up, a little disoriented at first because she wasn't at home, Natasha went in search of her aunt. She found Ana in her sewing room and smiled sleepily as she helped herself to Ana's lap. Ana was sitting behind a small drafting desk sketching out dress designs, but was more than happy to stop working and wrap her arms around her goddaughter as Natasha snuggled.

"You're getting so big, little star." Ana says as she holds the girl close. "You're going to need new summer dresses." When Natasha sits up to look at her with wide hopeful eyes Ana smiles brightly. "I have some new fabrics perfect for pretty summer dresses, shall we pick a few out for you?"

"Yes please!" Natasha replies eagerily. "You make the best dresses, Néni!"

Ana chuckled softly as she set Natasha on her feet. They spent the rest of the early evening until dinner is ready picking out dress fabrics and patterns, and taking Natasha's new measurements. She also had Natasha try on the new dress she'd made for her for their special dinner together tomorrow night, just in case it needed any last minutes adjustments. Ana watched with such joy as Natasha twirled around in her new dress looking for the hidden little star Ana sewed into each of the things she made for the girl. That little star would someday be stitched into Natasha's prom dress, the last dress Natasha would think Ana made for her until her mothers show her the wedding dress Ana leaves for her, which would be full of sparkly stars.

When Jarvis came to fetch them for dinner the pair had made themselves comfortable in a chaise lounge, and were in the middle of a sewing lesson. Walking over to them he peered down at Natasha's work and nodded approvingly. "Lovely stitches, little Miss. Carter."

"Thank you, Uncle Jarvis." Natasha beamed.

After dinner Jarvis called the Carter brownstone so that Natasha could talk to her mothers and wish them goodnight. Then the three of them settled in the living room to watch a movie of Natasha's choosening, before starting the girl's bedtime routine. Jarvis still needed to clean up after dinner so Ana handled bedtime, but instead of taking Natasha to the guest room she took her to their room because the bed was much bigger and better for snuggling while Ana read to Natasha. Natasha snuggled close as Ana read, her little fingers playing with the Star of David Ana wore, the one Howard had made that went with Natasha's cross, which she was only allowed to wear on special occasions until she was older. The necklaces both contained vibranium and Peggy worried about Natasha losing hers, despite the fact that Howard insisted the chain wouldn't break.

When Jarvis entered the room he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his wife and the sleeping child snuggled beside her.

Ana smiled with such contentment and joy that it made her eyes sparkle. "I'm afraid you will have to find other accommodations tonight, my love."

"To see the look of jubilation on your face right now, it is worth sleeping in the guest room." Jarvis said softly as he moved across the room to kiss his wife and gently brush his hand over Natasha's hair as he wished them both a goodnight.

The next morning Natasha wiggled free of her aunt's cuddles and told her she had to stay in bed. Which made Ana laugh, and agree, because everyone knew not to argue with a bossy Carter no matter their age. Then Natasha went down to the kitchen where she and her uncle made Ana breakfast. Jarvis carried the tray up to Ana while Natasha fetched the present she had made for her. It was a very simple hand sewn handkerchief with little stars stitched in the corner. It very much looked like a young child made it, but Ana would carry the handkerchief with her for the rest of her days, and beyond because many many years from now her boy, her Tony would make sure it was in her hand when she was laid to rest beside her husband.

They spend the day playing barefoot in the back garden and listening to music in the living room as Natasha dances for them. Then they all get ready for dinner at the Carters'. Natasha gets a bubble bath with Aunt Ana's rose scented bubbles, and Ana does Natasha's hair in curls before helping her into her new dress. When they arrive at the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn, Peggy and Angie gush over how lovely Natasha looks, and make sure Ana knows just how much she means to them as they sit down to dinner as a family.

"Did you have a good visit with Aunt Ana and Uncle Jarvis, poppet?" Peggy asked her little girl as she tucked her into her bed that night.

"The best." Natasha sighed happily. "Mummy?"

"Yes darling?" Peggy replies, smiling warmly at her sleepy little girl.

"Did you know Uncle Jarvis hates flamingos?" Natasha yawned. "He says their devils in pink."

Peggy laughs. "Yes, I was aware of that fact. Did Uncle Jarvis tell you about Bernard?"

Natasha nods and then points to her shelf where her favorite stuffed animals live. There beside her Howling Commando bears, and her stuffed duck named Howard, was a brand new stuffed pink flamingo. Peggy laughs harder, "Oh dear it seems we have the return of Bernard Stark!"

Natasha giggled. "Néni bought him for me. Uncle Jarvis pouted. It was funny."

Peggy smiles at the happiness on her daughter's face and then leans in to kiss her forehead as Natasha drifts off to sleep and dream of pink flamingos and clear nights will a sky full of stars.


	14. Chapter 14

Avoiding War

Diplomacy hadn't really been a part of her job until recently. Natasha had always been an active field agent, a spy, a girl of action. Sharon had been the Carter who liked this kind of thing, but Sharon was still spending her free time hunting the Winter Soldier. Plus, this wasn't exactly a SHIELD mission, Natasha was here on behalf of the Avengers. Thaddeus Ross seemed to have it out for them. Tony thinks it might have something to do with them taking in Banner, it wasn't a secret that Ross hated the Hulk with a passion. Her mother seemed to think Ross wanted control over them for himself, and he was trying to maneuver the Avengers Initiative away from SHIELD. Ross' argument was that SHIELD gave the Avengers too much free rage, that Fury had allowed this group of enhanced people to become their own independent entity with no accountability. Natasha was there to argue the counter point with their allies, to reassure the U.N. that the Avengers did have accountability, and that the kind of government oversight that Ross wanted would hinder their ability to help protect the world as a whole. Thankfully, as it stood at the moment, more countries felt it would be dangerous for one country or a single cluster of allied countries, to have control over the Avengers.

"You spoke quite well during this morning's meetings, Ms. Carter." A voice says as it approaches Natasha.

Natasha turns to see a handsome and dignified young man around her age walking over to her and she smiles. "Thank you, Your Highness. That's kind of your to say. I'm rather new to this whole diplomacy thing."

"Yes, I don't suppose either of us are comfortable in the spotlight." Prince T'Challa of Wakanda replies as he scans the room, taking in the people around them.

"Until the Battle of New York a big part of my job was being unseen." Natasha admits as she too watches the room. "So yes, I'm not very comfortable out in the open just yet."

T'Challa hums softly and nods. "For quite some time you operated under the name Natalia Romanoff, yes?"

Natasha nods. Since the take down of the new HYDRA Natasha's true identity had spread through SHIELD like wildfire, and after Sokovia when she was called to testify in front of Congress, her real name had been made public. "Natalia Romanoff was an alias I used when I joined SHIELD, the agency founded and run until her retirement, by my mother. There was never any malice or manipulative reasons behind it, I simply wanted to fail or succeed on my own merits."

"I understand completely, Ms. Cater." T'Challa replies with a warm smile and true understanding in his eyes. "My father and your mother do cast very large and looming shadows."

"Ah but shadows are not always bad things, my son." King T'Chaka says as he joins them. "They offer shade and protection, and they can be quite strategic to those who know how to use them properly. Panthers, for example, will often stalk prey from the shadows, as do spiders." The older man smiles a huge warm smile at Natasha. "It is wonderful to see you once again Ms. Carter."

T'Challa greets his father warmly, with great affection and admiration, his smile pure and bright.

Natasha nods her head respectfully. "Your Majesty, the honor is truly mine." Then she looks at him, a bit confused. "Have we met before? Forgive me, Your Majesty, I don't remember."

"No, I suppose you would not." T'Chaka replies. "You were very small, as was my son, when Director Carter and I last met in London."

"You know my mother?" Natasha wasn't sure why she was surprised. Her mother knew all kinds of world leaders, hell she had tea with Ruth Bader Ginsburg once a month, but Wakanda wasn't exactly known for having any kind of ties to the outside world.

"Margaret Carter is an honored friend and ally." T'Chaka nods, and then, if it were possible, his smile gets bigger and brighter. "Why don't you join T'Challa and I for lunch, Ms. Carter, and I will tell you about how I met the most remarkable Agent Carter during the war."

Natasha easily returned the King's smile. "I would love to, Your Majesty, thank you, and please call me Natasha."

T'Chaka offered her his arm which she took easily and began his story as they walked. "It all started with vile men named Zemo and Zola who wanted a Wakandan artifact."

She never got tired of hearing stories about her mother, and it thrilled Natasha to know she hadn't heard them all yet. Lunch with the Wakandan King and Crown Prince turned out to be the best part of the whole summit. Even if T'Chaka did insist on embarrassing both of them by telling them of the trouble they caused as small children while he and her mother had been meeting in London. As they all began to gather in the main assembly hall Natasha couldn't help but laugh softly as she and T'Challa walked in together. "I really don't remember any of that."

"Hopefully I will make a more lasting impression on you this time." T'Challa chuckled.

"You already have." Natasha smiled. A soft chime filled the room before a string of announcements in various languages announced that the formal session was about to start, and everyone should please take their seats.

"Well," T'Challa says. "The future calls."

Natasha nods, they say their goodbyes and she heads to her seat to listen to the speeches. The first person up is King T'Chaka. As the King speaks it becomes even more clear how he and her mother could have formed a mutual bond of respect. She would very much like to see them together, and wondered about the possibilities of setting something up. Perhaps something in London, and she and T'Challa could retry their failed attempt to liberate the koi from the hotel's lobby. Natasha thought perhaps she could recall something of the playful incident when T'Challa yelled out something about getting down and a bomb. She reacts on instinct, shielding those around her with her own body, forgetting or ignoring the fact that she's in a skirt and suit jacket, not her uniform. She feels the impact of the blast rattle her bones. When it's over she works crowd control, getting everyone out of the area safely. As she works she catches sight of T'Challa and his father and her heart breaks for him.

She looks for him in the aftermath and finds him sitting alone on a bench, bloody and looking lost. She isn't sure what to say as she sits on the bench beside his. What would she want to hear if it were her? She shudders, her stomach twisting up painfully at the thought. "I'm so very sorry."

He turns and looks at her and for a few very long moments nothing is said between them. Then he looks away. "In my culture, death is not an end, it's more of a stepping off point."

She listens. She can tell he takes no comfort from what he is explaining to her. Natasha also sees a look in his eyes that had not been there before. A look she has seen in her own eyes. The look that Fury had seen when she found out the truth about her Uncle Howard and Aunt Maria's deaths. T'Challa didn't want comfort or compassion at that moment, he wanted vengeance. When they find out who's responsible, she can't blame him, but she does blame herself.

"Damnit." She swears, and nearly throws her phone with the security message still on screen. "I knew I should have gone after him myself."

"You know who this man is?" T'Challa demanded.

"The Winter Soldier, a man once called James Barnes, but now he's just a weapon." Natasha told him. "One used to kill two members of my family years ago. When I found out, damnit, I should have handled this the way I wanted too in the first place, but we thought we could get him before he acted again. T'Challa, I am truly sorry."

"This is not your fault." T'Challa reassured her. He would have said more but her phone began to ring. "Take your phone call, Natasha. This is all over the world's news. I am quite sure that your mothers are quite worried about your well being."

Natasha hestated, but he was right. Her mothers would be freaking out so she stepped away to answer her phone.

"Black Widows are deadly, yes," T'Challa said to himself as Natasha walked away. "But they do not hunt their prey the way a panther does. I will make this Winter Soldier pay for what he has taken from us both, my new friend."

Sharon was not the person Natasha had been expecting. "Sharon?"

"Are you alright?" Was Sharon's panicked reply, though only Natasha and the ones closest to her would know that her voice sounded off.

"Everything is going to hurt like hell tomorrow, but nothing is broken and no blood shed, so I'm golden." Natasha answered. "What's going on?"

"They have it all wrong, Nat." Sharon replies. "I'm sending you coordinates. Get here fast."

When Natasha turned back towards where T'Challa was, he was gone. She frowned as she nodded as if Sharon could see her. "I'm on my way."

Bucharest. Well, at least it wasn't a country that started with the letter B. Natasha didn't have much luck in those. Hopefully she had better luck in cities. Making her way to where she was supposed to meet Sharon she was surprised to find herself in an abandoned industrial workshop. This wasn't normally Sharon's style. If things weren't in such chaos right now she would have been amused at how their roles had seemingly reversed. Sharon was out getting dirty in the field hunting down the bad guy, while she was the one in a tailored power suit playing nicely with others. Drawing her weapon Natasha headed inside and began creeping around looking for her cousin. Hearing a notice she tensed up and softly said, "Cantaloupe."

"Pineapple." Came the reply.

Natasha instantly relaxed just as Sharon stepped out of hiding. She would have smiled at her cousin but was taken by surprise by the men coming out of hiding with her. Sam Wilson wasn't too big of a surprise. Natasha had known since Tony's party that the two were canoodling as her Ma would say. But Steve; Steve was a huge surprise, one that pissed Natasha off a little.

"Cantaloupe and pineapple?" Sam asks, grinning at the ladies. "What is that, some kind of spy code?"

Sharon smiled at Sam and shrugged a bit. "Sort of, but more like our own spy-cousins code. I hate cantaloupe, and Nat hates pineapple."

"And now we're going to need new codewords." Natasha grumbled as she frowned at the trio. "Sharon, what the hell is going on?"

"They are blaming Bucky for the bombing at the U.N. summit." Sharon began, as she waved Natasha closer. "But it wasn't him, it couldn't have been him."

Natasha shot a look at Steve as if he had somehow corrupted her cousin. Then again, with the way Sharon had smiled at Sam, maybe it hadn't been Steve who corrupted her. And maybe whatever was happening between Sharon and Sam was more than just a hookup. "They have evidence, Sharon. Surveillance footage. I've seen it myself."

"I know, but it's fake." Sharon tried to explain.

"The footage of him murdering Howard and Maria Stark wasn't fake." Natasha said bitterly. "How can you be so sure this time it is?"

Sharon had been leading Natasha to a back room. Sliding open the heavy metal door she showed her cousin why. "Because Sam and I found Bucky three days before the bombing. Steve helped us apprehend him," Bucky Barnes sat on a stool, his head lolling around on his shoulders like he was half out of it, and his metal arm held in a vice press. "And he's been here with us ever since, half conscious and contained."

There he was, the monster who murdered her aunt and uncle, the man who took Tony's parents away from him, who killed the man her mother loved like a brother. A flawed man who Natasha loved with all her heart, and his wife whom she had adored, murdered with cold brutality. Steve was strong, agile even, but his reflexes and speed were no match for the Black Widow's. Before anyone in the room could react Natasha stood in front of Bucky with the barrel of her gun pressed to his forehead. "Do you even remember them?"

"Natasha!" Sharon and Steve both called out.

Bucky looked up at her, blinked slowly, and then said, "I remember them all." He stared at her for a long moment and then added, "I remember you too kiska."

"Natasha." Sharon said softly, waving Steve away from her. "He's himself right now. He's Bucky Barnes, not the Winter Soldier."

"How can you be so sure?" Natasha demanded as she looked down into Bucky's eyes. They did seem different, less vacant and hollow, more sad and haunted. "He's really good at being manipulative, I should know, so am I."

"I wasn't manipulating you in Liechtenstein or Singapore." Bucky tells her. "We had different goals in Liechtenstein and Singapore. You weren't part of the mission, so I didn't have to play you. What we did I wanted."

Natasha stiffened, his words invoking uncomfortable memories.

"He has Bucky's memories, Nat." Steve told her as he watched her carefully just in case he needed to stop her, letting his shield hang from his fingertips ready to be thrown at a moment's notice because all he would get was a single fleeting moment.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Apparently Steve's mother's name was Sarah, he wore newspapers in his shoes, and he was in love with your mom."

Bucky blinked, a look of some undefinable emotion crossing his face. "Steve only ever loved one girl, Peggy Carter."

"Natasha Carter, nice to meet you." Natasha said sarcastically, her index finger quivering on the trigger.

Bucky dared to take his eyes off the quietly raging redhead to look at Steve. "There's a whole gaggle of Carters now?"

"Just the three." Steve replies. "Well, four if you count Peggy's wife."

"Peggy's what now?" Bucky blinks.

"Nattie." Sharon said gently, using Natasha's childhood nickname when she saw her cousin's anger rise as Bucky and Steve bantered as if she weren't holding a gun to Bucky's head. Sharon could already read Natasha's mind, feel her anger over the nerve of them chatting like old friends while she was once again faced with their family's loss. "You know I've spent a lot of my career studying what they did to my Dad. You know part of the reason why I joined SHIELD was to help me understand it, and to make sure nothing like that ever happened to anyone else's dad. James Barnes and the Winter Soldier might share the same body, but they are not the same person. If you decide to pull the trigger right now in this moment, you will be killing James Barnes, the man who fought with the Howlies, and Steve, and Aunt Peggy. The man from the stories they told us as kids, remember?"

Seconds pass, but each tick feels like an eternity before Natasha finally speaks. "He's been here with you the entire time?"

"Yes." Sharon answers, her tone of voice letting Natasha know it was the truth.

Natasha's hand twitches around the grip of her gun, but she does step back slowly and lowers it, and then slides it back into it's holster.

"Thank you." Steve says softly as he looks at his friend with grateful eyes.

"There are people after Barens, not just the authorities." Natasha says stiffly, firmly, as she retreats into her training and ignores Steve's gratitude. "Steve, take Wilson and get Barnes someplace safe. Sharon and I will head back to Vienna and see what we can find out about who would be setting him up."

"What about Stark?" Steve asks, needing to know if he will have to face off against his friend over this.

Natasha stood there staring at Bucky for several long moments, her mind replaying what she'd just done, and then she made a very hard call. "We leave him out of this for now."

Steve visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Nat."

Shifting her gaze from Barnes to Steve, Nat replied, "I hope he's worth what we're risking, Rogers, what you're risking."

Of course things couldn't go to plan. Not that they actually had much of a plan outside of hiding Bucky and trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Natasha and Sharon had barely made it back to Vienna when one of Sharon's contacts informed them that the guys had gotten into a powered up street fight with someone who turned out to be T'Challa. To say Natasha was frustrated would be an understatement. She and Sharon head to Berlin, neither looking forward to trying to get things settled with the CIA. The other American intelligence agencies weren't known for liking SHIELD much, feeling that they were at a disadvantage because they had certain governmental restrictions SHIELD didn't. When they arrived they were taken to Everett Ross, who Sharon had had dealings with before so Natasha gladly stepped aside to allow her cousin to argue with Ross.

After giving Steve an ear full, "You had one job, Rogers!"

"It's not my fault, Nat." Steve replied. "T'Challa was gunning for Bucky."

Natasha went to find T'Challa. She found him sitting alone in a room and paused outside the doorway for a moment. She could understand how he felt, if someone were to murder her mothers she would burn the world down making sure that person paid for taking them away from her. She could understand because the pain of loss burned in her chest over her godfather and her aunt. "Not exactly how I thought I'd be seeing you again, Your Highness."

"Natasha." T'Challa stood as Natasha walked in.

"I saw some of the footage of your fight with the fellas, impressive, and your suit is amazing." Natasha said as she walked over to sit on the arm of the chair across from where T'Challa had been sitting.

"The Black Panther has been Wakanda's protector for generations." T'Challa told her. "It is passed down from warrior to warrior. My father passed it down to me many years ago when he felt he was no longer able to serve our people in that way, and now he passes on much heavier responsibilities. The first of which will be to bring his murderer to justice."

"Barnes is being set up." Natasha told him. "We don't know why or by who, but Barnes isn't responsible for the bombing, T'Challa."

T'Challa glared at her but his voice remained calm. "You said this monster killed people you loved, why do you now defend him?"

"I also said Barnes was being used as a weapon." Natasha replied. "James Barnes was captured during the war, experimented on, and brainwashed. It's not easy for me to keep that in mind when I see him, because when I see him, I see the man in the photographs and video who bashes my godfather's head in and crushes my aunt's throat." Natasha pauses for a moment, hands clenched and jaw tight. "I have to constantly remind myself that the Winter Soldier and James Barnes are two seperate people."

T'Challa continued to glare. He wasn't buying this. "That sounds like a badly made up excuse to…"

"I'm not making excuses for him, T'Challa." Natasha said firmly. "Believe me, it's taking a lot for me not to put him down like a rabid dog."

"That is not the first time you have said that." T'Challa replied as he looked into her blue-green eyes. "What is stopping you from doing what you feel is right? Why fight it?"

"My Uncle Michael." Natasha admits. T'Challa doesn't reply but his expression asks for more, so she sighs softly and explains. "My mother's older brother was also taken and experimented on during the war. He was the first iteration of what would later become the Winter Soldier." She tells him Michael's story, including how he was incarcerated for his crimes, and that after he finished his time and treatment he was able to live out a normal life. "So, I'm conflicted. On one hand the Winter Soldier killed my godfather and my aunt, but on the other, why shouldn't James Barnes get the same second chance my uncle got."

"I can see the conflict in your eyes, Natasha." T'Challa said softly, but there is also steel in his voice as he continues, "But I do not have such conflict. Without proper evidence to back up your claims of a set up, I have no reason to believe James Barnes is not the one who murdered my father, and he will face justice. As soon as Ross finishes his evaluation I will be taking Barnes back to Wananda with me."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Your Highness." Ross says as he walks into the room. "Whatever favors you tried to call in, well, they weren't enough to supersede hers."

Natasha didn't have time to school the surprised look on her face but she did manage to stop herself from saying mum, opting for the more professional, "Director Carter, what are you doing here?"

"Throwing her weight around and getting what she wants as usual." Ross replied.

"Are you quite sure you're not related to Thaddeus Ross, Agent Ross?" Peggy asked the small man beside her. "You both have such lovely dispositions to work with." Her words were biting and her glare hard. "Now that you have shown me to Prince T'Challa, you may be on your way Agent Ross, I expect my Avengers to be released and the prisoner prepared for transport within the hour."

"What is going on?" T'Challa demanded as he looked between Peggy and Ross.

Natasha blinked. "You're Avengers?"

"Director Carter here has been made the liaison for the Avengers by order of the U.N." Ross explained. He looked at T'Challa as he added, "It was one of the last things your father did before the bombing."

"You are dismissed Agent Ross." Peggy ordered. She glared the man down until he finally left the room and bit back a muttered remark about him being an annoying little hobbit of a man. Then she turned to T'Challa and Natasha with a much softer expression. "Prince T'Challa, I wish we were meeting again after so long under better circumstances."

"As do I Director Carter." T'Challa replies. "Before his death at the hands of the man you wish to whisk away, my father regaled Natasha and I with stories of your relationship to him and the people of Wakanda. You were an honored and trusted ally."

"Were?" Peggy repeated. "I hope I can prove I still am, Your Highness. Which is why I've come to ask you to join us, to see for yourself that we are not trying to sweep anything under the rug so to speak."

Before T'Challa has a chance to respond the whole building goes dark. The three of them move quickly to the central command room where Sharon, Ross, and again to Natasha's surprise Tony were. She groaned silently, because now she would have to face Tony at some point when he wanted to know why she hadn't called him about Barnes.

"Anthony, what's going on?" Peggy demanded.

"Massive EMP bomb is my best guess." Tony replies. "This whole sector of the damn city is out."

"Where are Rogers and Wilson?" Peggy asks next.

"They went to check on Bucky's containment." Sharon replied.

Peggy nodded, "Sharon, Natasha, with me. Anthony, you know what I need."

"To teach your kid not to leave important people out of the loop?" Tony says as he jumps to his feet.

"Can we do this later?" Natasha barks at him and then asks, "Why aren't you putting on the suit?"

"She wouldn't let me bring a suit." Tony huffed while indicating Peggy. "This was supposed to be a teachable moment in diplomacy."

Sharon, like Natasha, has a vast variety of emotions passing through her eyes. Surprise, disbelief, confusion, and most of all excitement. They'd never really gotten the chance to work with Peggy in this way before, and both girls were more than ready to do so, and to truly show Peggy what they could do in the field.

As soon as Barnes shows up Natasha can tell something is different about him. His posture, the blank look on his face, the emptiness in his eyes. She isn't looking at James Barnes, she's staring down the Winter Soldier again. How? What happened to trigger the weapon? What was going on? She watches as Tony blasts him from a hand repulsor he'd hidden in his watch. Then she watches Tony fight as she and Sharon close in, and she's impressed and really glad she'd forced him into combat lessons with her. But the Winter Soldier just took down a whole unit of CIA agents, Tony wasn't a match for him. So that left herself and Sharon. The two younger Carters tag teamed him, working in perfect sync. Natasha went low, Sharon went high. Natasha tangled with him face to face, and Sharon came up from behind with a chair. It was like watching a pair of figure skaters or ballroom dancers.

Tony knew to stay out of it, but the newcomer didn't so when T'Challa tried to get involved he stopped him. "Hold back Hello Kitty, you really don't want to get in their way." He could tell the other man was going to protest, physically if he had too, so Tony pointed to the third floor where Peggy stood with what looked like a sniper rifle. "Seriously man, let the Carters do what Carters do best."

Natasha and Sharon fought hard against the Winter Soldier but were about to get their asses handed to them when Peggy's voice finally came over their comms. "Stand clear darlings." They let themselves be thrown into tables, and the Winter Soldier made a run for it. Peggy fired. A small round device the size of a dime attached to the back of the Winter Soldier's neck and with a press of a button held in Peggy's hand it released a debilitating wave of energy that paralized the man before knocking him out cold. "Anthony, restarits."

"Yes ma'am." Tony replies as he moves to follow Peggy's orders.

T'Challa decided to take Peggy up on her offer and go with her and the Avengers when they leave Berlin with Barnes. On the flight back to the compound, he speaks with Peggy alone while Sharon and Natasha watch from a distance.

"I'll be damned." Natasha says with a shake of her head. "She actually found a way to come out of retirement without going back to SHIELD."

"Who won the pool?" Sharon asked.

Natasha laughed. "We'll have to check when we get back but I think my Ma."

Peggy was aware that her children were staring at her, thunderstruck by her reemergence, but her focus was on her discussion with T'Challa. "It was actually a Wakandan scientist that deprogrammed my brother. When your father heard that I was looking for someone who could undo what HYDRA did to Michael, he sent one of his best to help, despite the fact that Michael had stolen from Wakanda. That's probably where the hint of vibranium in Bucky's arm you decided comes from. I remain grateful to T'Chaka to this day for helping my brother." She gave T'Challa a warm but sad smile before indicating the two young women watching them. "You obviously know the redhead is my daughter, but the blonde, Sharon, is my niece. She's Michael's daughter, and if not for your father's aide, she might not be here."

"You have given me much to think about, Director Carter." T'Challa replies before excusing himself from her presence.

They use the same kind of containment pod SHIELD created to hold the Hulk to hold Bucky. When she was alerted that he was awake Peggy went down to see him for herself. He was sitting on the floor when she walked up to the cell, and for a moment she wondered who would be looking back at her when he looked up, Bucky or the Winter Soldier. "James?"

Slowly Bucky raised his head to look at her. "Yeah, Peg, it's me. How did you shut it down?"

"Rather nasty electro-shock to your nervous system. Anthony describes it as a sort of forced reboot." Peggy answers. "How do you feel?"

"Twitchy." Bucky replies as he flexes the fingers of his human hand, and then his mechanical one.

"I'm sorry, James." Peggy says softly.

Bucky shakes his head. "Compared to what I've gone through, that tickled."

"I'm sorry you had to go through any of that at all." Peggy replied with a shake of her own head. "I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner, James."

He looked up at her and into her eyes as he said, "You didn't know to look, Peg, and even if you had, you would have never found me. Don't blame yourself."

"We have you back now." Peggy said after a long pause. "We're going to help you, James. I promise." She holds up the red book with the black star on the cover. "Is everything we need to know about what they did to you in here?"

Pushing to his feet he walked towards her, stopping just in front of the glass. He stares at the book, and then at her and nods. "Yeah."

Peggy nods. "Then I will give it to Steve for safekeeping until we can figure this all out."

"You have bigger things to worry about." Bucky tells her. "There are others, not as successful as me, but just as dangerous. If the little shit who activated the soldier read all of that book, not just my trigger words, he could cause a lot of trouble."

Bucky tells her where to go and Peggy orders the plane to change it's course.

On their way there they discover who the little shit Bucky mentioned was thanks to Natasha and Sharon, who'd placed data trackers in Vienna and Berlin. The actual CIA profiler had been found dead, and video revealed the man Bucky identified as the man who triggered him.

"Zemo?" Tony asks as he works to prove the tape of Bucky at the bombing was really Zemo. "Isn't that the stuff I got drunk on in college?"

Peggy frowns. "You were underage while in college, Anthony."

Tony groans softly. "Witty banter is going to be hard with you lurking over my shoulder, Aunt Peg."

"Get used to it my boy." Peggy replies as she put her hand on his shoulder. "The world governments wanted the Avengers to have accountability, the Avengers wanted to maintain their autonomy, I'm the compromise. Unless of course you want to go back to rethinking those accords Secretary Ross was batting around for approval?"

"No thanks." Tony replies. "I can't stomach working for jackasses."

"We appreciate you stepping in, Peggy." Steve reassures her.

Peggy gives him a warm smile and then says, "Then let's make sure this mission is done properly, so we don't give anyone a reason to second guess this arrangement."

Helmut Zemo, a Sokovian who lost his family in the Ultron attack, and the son of the Zemo from T'Chaka's story about meeting Peggy, wanted to destroy the Avengers from the inside out. He had hoped to turn them against one another, but he had no way of knowing that Natasha had already discovered the truth about Howard and Maria Stark's deaths, so when he showed Tony the tape in the solviet bunker Bucky led them too, it didn't have the desired effect on him. Enraged that his plan failed Zemo released the six other Winter Soldiers that had been on ice in the bunker, and although they were not as good as Bucky, there were still six of them. While the Avengers fought, Zemo tried to escape, only to be captured by Black Panther. Who, at that moment, thought of Natasha's strength, his father's wisdom and compassion, and Director Carter's advice about remembering that vengeance and justice were not the same thing. Zemo is arrested and will stand trial for all the innocent deaths he caused.

"The scientist you mentioned, Director Carter." T'Challa says as he stands in the Avengers compound with Peggy, Steve, Sharon and Bucky. "He is retired now, but still active and has many students who are familiar with his work. Perhaps he could help Mr. Barnes as he once did your brother."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Peggy smiles warmly as she takes the prince's offered hand.

Sharon and Steve agree to go with Bucky to Wakanda where he'll get the help he needs. T'Challa invites Peggy as well, but she has to turn him down for now. There was a lot she needed to see too now that she was officially the Averngers' den mother, but she told him she would very much like to take him up on his offer later. "I haven't seen Wakanda since the war. I would very much love to see it again."

"Then someday soon you and your wife must be my honored guests." The young king to be replies warmly.

"Why didn't you call and tell me about Barnes?" Tony asks Natasha as they stand on the balcony overlooking the grounds. His arm is in a sling because taking on six overpowered killer popsicles was harder than one might think, but over all most of them walked away just fine while the soldiers were all finally put out of their misery. Unlike Bucky, none of the others had retained their humanity, and destroying them was the kind thing to do.

"Because when I walked into that room and found myself face to face with him I put a gun to his head." Natasha answered honestly. "I had pressure on the trigger, Tony. Half a breath in or out and I'd have pulled it all the way." She paused for a moment, letting herself deal with what she'd almost done. "I'm the level headed one out of the two of us, Tony, and Sharon had to talk me down. I don't think we could have talked you down."

"Yeah." Tony replies after a long stretch of silence, both cousins lost in their own thoughts and emotions. "You're probably right."


	15. Chapter 15

The Spider and the Witch 

They argued about it because they were the Avengers and they argued about everything. Natasha thought the Avengers should stick around and help settle the displaced Sokovians who would be placed in a UN/SHIELD refugee camp until other arrangements such as relocation could be seen to. Tony argued that it wasn't the Avengers job to play nursemaid, they were there to protect the world. Pepper was already setting up a fund that would give each survivor money and resources to start over, what would sticking around to handout sandwiches and cots do for anyone?

"It would show the world that we actually give a damn about the chaos and destruction we tend to cause." Natasha had replied angrily.

"It will just come across as a publicity stunt, Nat." Tony shot back.

Rhodey nodded his agreement. "The talking heads will twist…"

"Fuck the talking heads." Natasha cut in, glaring the men down. "This isn't about the talking heads, this is about the everyday people we're meant to protect from the extraordinary threats. If we want them to trust us, then we need to show them we're more than just dangerous weapons to be unleashed when the world's going to shit."

"Nat's right." Steve said from where he sat in the meeting room off the bridge of the helicarrier. Though Tony liked to tease that he was the leader, he wasn't seated at the head of the table, no that place was currently occupied by the stoically quiet Peggy Carter. And since Peggy had been the one to ride to their rescue in an old SHIELD helicarrier Fury wouldn't miss, no one said anything about her presence. In fact those who had been at the Tower before they left to rescue Natasha and face Ultron were still in awe of the fact that Peggy had picked up Thor's hammer as easily as one would pick up a kitten. "There's enough fear and distrust in the world without us living in the shadows of it and making it worse. I'm staying to help Nat."

"Me too, obviously." Clint chimed in.

"Dr. Banner." Peggy's voice was firm but not harsh. "If you feel as if you have yourself under control your medical expertise would be welcome."

Bruce squeaked softly when Peggy first said his name, which his teammates would never stop finding amusing, and then replied once she'd made her offer. "I'm good, Director. The other guy is actually really content at the moment. I don't see him being an issue, and if something were to be triggering, I'll extract myself as quickly as possible."

Peggy nods her acknowledgement of that. "Colonel Rhodes, given your ties to the U.S. military, it's best you sit this one out. Anthony, if you're helping you'll do it out of the suit. The people need to see the man not the armor right now."

"Fine." Tony pouts. "We can stay and help for a little while. The little witch stays on the ship though, if she gets down there she could slip away and we'll never find her, she's too much of an unknown…"

"Wanda stays with me and Clint." Natasha says firmly.

"You're in an argumentative mood today." Tony grumbles at her. "You'd think you'd be a little more appreciative of us coming to rescue you."

"Clint and Wanda got me out of the cell your murder bot put me in, Anthony." Natasha replied. "Wanda just lost everything of what little she had left, including her twin brother, if she wants to help her people then she'll come with me and Clint. She seems to trust Clint. If she's not up to it, then she can stay here with my Mum. She doesn't know any of you, and she hates Tony, so just leave her be."

Outside in the hallway Wanda listens, confused. While they'd been in the castle she and Pietro had heard tales whispered by frightened soldiers about the infamous Black Widow. Wanda could remember thinking how powerful this woman must be to frighten war hardened men like that. When her brother returned to her side after fighting the Avengers in the forest outside the castle, he told her all about what he had seen and done, the enjoyment he had gotten out of playing with the archer. "What of the Black Widow?" Wanda had asked him. He'd whistled in that way that meant he'd been impressed by something. "She fights like a she-devil. I didn't mess with her." After the castle fell and Hydra defeated, Wanda and Pietro lurked in the shadows of the city and watched as that she-devil helped to rescue people from the aftermath left behind long after the rest of her team had returned to the extravagance of their privileged American lives. It had been the first time they'd heard her true name, "Agent Carter, over here! There's crying, we can't quite reach…" Wanda had watched as the Black Widow, Agent Carter, shimmied her way into a building about to collapse without a second thought and emerging with a small boy several long minutes later. Wanda had watched as the red haired woman helped an old man shift through rubble to find something that had belonged to his dead wife, and help a young woman set right the toppled over gravestones of her parents. That's when Wanda's confusion started, and it only grew when Ultron told them the Avengers needed to be destroyed in order to save the world.

She hadn't lingered in their minds long enough to see what played out once she'd triggered their fears, but Wanda did know that the older woman with the chestnut hair starting to streak with strands of silver had played a part in both Captain America's illusion as well as the Black Widow's. It wasn't until Captain America had taken her and Pietro to Avengers' Tower to try and stop Stark from making another robot overlord that Wanda discovered the woman's connection to the Black Widow. Wanda understood the kind of grief that came with mourning your mother, and she'd made Natasha live through that. The guilt was almost unbearable. The fact that the older woman had comforted her as they left the ruins of her home, and had gone with her to see her brother's body, and was now seemingly protecting her from the others, made Wanda's guilt and confusion a hundred times worse. When Wanda heard movement inside the room that sounded like people moving around and coming towards the door she quickly made her way back down the hall to the room she'd been left in to wait.

"Hey kid," Clint says a few minutes later as he and Natasha walk in. "You need anything? Food? Water? I know where Nat's stash of chocolate is on these things. You good?"

"No, thank you." Wanda replies in heavily accented english. "I'm fine."

Natasha walks over to sit beside the girl. "We're going to be arriving at a refugee camp soon. There will be plenty of beds, food, and water for the survivors while the U.N works out what to do next." Natasha paused for a moment before continuing. "Because of your powers and how you got them, you'll be staying with us, Wanda, but don't worry, you're not under arrest or anything like that. We haven't worked out the details yet, but for now you'll stick with me and Clint. Understand?"

"My powers make me too big of a threat to be left alone and live my life in peace." Wanda replies as she stares down at her hands.

"I'm not going to disrespect you by trying to downplay that." Natasha says honestly. "Your powers and abilities are a dangerous unknown, not only to us, but I get a feeling to yourself as well. We're going to do our best to help you figure them out, and learn how to control them."

"How you use them is up to you." Clint adds. "I meant what I said back there. The moment you and Pietro stepped out and started fighting along said us, you were Avengers, whether you wanna stay one or just be a normal kid, that's up to you."

"I have not been a normal kid since I was ten." Wanda replies.

"I know the last five years must feel like a lifetime." Natasha says. "But it's not too late to get a little normal out of what's left of your childhood." She could tell Wanda was about to argue so she continued quickly. "But that's something we can work out later. Clint and I wanted to know if you felt up to being a part of our team." She smiles at the girl. "We're going to be sticking around with SHIELD to help settle the refugees. We'll understand if you're not feeling up to it, but I figured these are your people and you might want to help."

Wanda nods. "I do. I have too." She lowers her voice to barely a whisper and speaks in her nativie language, forgetting Natasha can understand her. "This is all my fault."

"It's not, little witch." When Natasha says it, little witch sounds the same as when her Néni would call her little star, and not like the nearly insulting way the others used it. "It's not your fault. You were a lost, angry little girl full of pain and grief and fear. You were taken advantage of, offered a way to make all of that hurt go away, so of course you and Pietro took the chance to be free of it."

"How can you say that this isn't my fault?" Wanda asks as she looks into Natasha's eyes. "After what I did to you, to your friends, the things I made you see."

"We all make mistakes, Wanda." Natasha replies. "And sometimes, some of us, make mistakes that get others hurt. You and your brother, you realized that you'd made a mistake, and you did your best to make up for it. You paid far too high a price making up for it. As far as I'm concerned, there's a clean slate between us."

Wanda stares at Natasha for a long time before looking over at Clint who chuckles and shrugs his shoulders. "You think she's good at that kind of speech, wait until you get one from her mothers, they could teach a masterclass."

Although it doesn't turn into an argument, there is a lot of chattered and debate about what to do with Wanda after they return to New York. According to the records they were able to find she was only fifteen, and would need a legal guardian. Natasha quickly stepped in and once again reinforced the fact that Wanda trusted Clint and now her, so they would be taking care of her.

With that settled, Natasha lays claim to an entire section of the compound and has it converted into a common living area and kitchen with three bedrooms, one for Wanda, one for Clint, and the last one she moved all of her personal things into from her apartment at the Tower.

They have a funeral for Pietro and bury him in the cemetery used by the Episcopal cathedral Natasha attended as a child with her mothers. Wanda withdraws a bit after that. Natasha does what she can, but she doesn't want to push. While Clint is around Natasha decides to spend the weekend at May's, and stops at her mothers and the market on her way back to the compound. That evening while Wanda is video chatting with Laura, who is helping them home school the girl while she's getting reacclimated to being a kid, Natasha makes dinner.

Stepping out of her room into the common space shared by herself, Natasha, and Clint, Wanda's eyes go wide at a familiar scent. Walking across the open floor plan towards the kitchen she watches Natasha move gracefully around the room as she cooks and hums softly to the music playing. "Is that, is that paprikash?"

Natasha looks up and smiles warmly at the girl. "I thought with all the new experiences you've been having lately, you might like something familiar. I hope that's ok?"

Wanda isn't sure if it is but she nods anyway as she picks up a spoon to taste what's in the pot. Again her eyes go wide. "This is wonderful!"

Pride and affection flood Natasha's blue-green eyes as she smiles. "My godmother, Ana, she was Hungarian. When she passed away Tony gave all of her and my Uncle Jarvis' recipes to my Ma. I asked her to make copies for me and picked them up on my way back from Queens." She indicated the oven and beamed, "I made Uncle Jarvis' apple torte for dessert."

With a stunted expression on her face the girl simply stood there staring at Natasha.

"What?" Natasha asked nervously, worried that she'd pushed a little too much by making what she thought might be comfort food for the girl.

"Nothing, sorry." Wanda replies, snapping out of her surprise. "I just, well, who knew the Black Widow could cook is all."

Natasha laughed. "My Ma had me in the kitchen helping as soon as I was dexterous enough to hold a spoon."

After that Wanda began to relax and over the next few weeks she and Natasha really began growing close. Wanda appreciated that the older woman wasn't trying to become anything more to her than a friend, a protector, and a guardian. It was nice, Wanda thought, to have someone looking out for her, and that maybe she wasn't as alone as she felt. She still missed her parents, and she physically ached for her brother, but she felt a little less alone now. She hoped that was ok.

One night a few months after she started living in America at the Avengers compound, Wanda is awakened by muffled cries coming from Natasha's room. She isn't sure what to do at first, it doesn't sound as if Natasha is being attacked, it sounds more like she's having a nightmare. Getting up from her to soft bed, under her fluffy comforter, Wanda carefully makes her way out of her room, and next door to Natasha's. She knocks on the older woman's door gently, softly calling out the redhead's name. When Natasha doesn't respond she carefully opens the door and steps inside. Natasha is twitching on her bed, hands fisted into her blankets, a thin sheen of sweat on her skin, and her face twisted up in pain caused by whatever she was dreaming. She's muttering something, a name? Names?

Wanda doesn't know what to do and she's trying not to panic. Clint isn't there, so she doesn't know who to go to for help. Finally she just decides to try and wake Natasha. She'd been staying with the other woman long enough to know that just walking over and shaking Natasha was probably a bad idea, so she used her powers to gently nudge the woman while she called out her name.

When Natasha wakes it's with a soft gasp as she sits up wide eyed, taking in her surroundings. When she sees Wanda standing a few feet from her bed, she calms herself and tries to relax. "Wanda? Sweetheart, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Wanda replies while trying not to roll her eyes in a very teenage fashion. Natasha was the one in distress, and yet her first concern was about Wanda's well being. It was both very sweet, and such a lame parental thing to do. Wanda smiled just a little before saying, "You were having a nightmare."

"It happens sometimes." Natasha scrubs her hands over her face as she shifts so she's sitting cross legged. Then she pats the space beside her, inviting Wanda to sit with her. "I'm alright."

"You were calling out for your mothers." Wanda tells her softly as she walks over and sits on the edge of Natasha's bed. She glanced over at the framed picture Natasha had in the room of the two women, one Wanda had met on the helicarrier that rescued them from Sokovia, the other she has not met yet. Natasha had allowed her to set her own pace as far as what she was and wasn't ready for, and meeting more new people she just wasn't ready for yet. Turning her attention back to Natasha, Wanda said, "I don't know the details of what I made you see but I know it had something to do with them. I saw their faces in your memory when I set the vision into motion."

"You only brought to the surface what I've had nightmares about since I was a little girl, Wanda." Natasha reassured. She had promised Wanda that she would always be honest and up front with her, so Natasha tried not to hold back when they talked about what happened. She was quiet for a while and then took a deep breath and said, "There's always been this thorn of fear in me that worries I'm going to lose them."

"Why?" Wanda asks gently.

Natasha shrugs. "I really don't know. Maybe because I was adopted and I was afraid they would leave me the way my birth parents did. Maybe because I lost a lot of people I loved along the way. It's just something that's a part of who I am, I guess."

"Don't you wish it would go away?" Wanda asks as she shifts on the bed so she's sitting beside Natasha, getting closer to her to offer comfort, and perhaps to take a bit as well.

"This particular fear or fear all together?" Natasha asks in return as she puts her arm around the girl.

Wanda thinks about that and replies, "Fear in general. It is a boulder around your neck when you are trying not to drown."

"It can be." Natasha agrees. "But, fear isn't a bad thing. Fear helps keep you alive. My Mum used to tell me to make fear a companion that helps give you strength, not a weight that makes you weak."

"What does she say about grief?" Wanda whispers.

Natasha tightens her hold on the girl, and kisses her temple. "That it fades over time but never really leaves. That it's like a scar left behind on your heart, and that our scars are there to remind us that we're strong enough to keep carrying on."

A few days after Wanda falls asleep in Natasha's bed as she runs her finger over one of Natasha's physical scars, her thoughts turning over what the older woman had said, she walks into their compound apartment after training with Steve to find Natasha video chatting with a woman with caramel colored hair and a local accent.

"It's been too damn long, angel." Angie says from the device Natasha is holding up. "I want you home for dinner on Sunday."

Natasha sighs. "I can't Ma. I need to…"

"Is that her?" Angie asks, spotting the girl coming into the room over Natasha's shoulder and smiling. "Is that your little Wanda?"

Natasha groans and rolls her eyes. "She isn't little, Ma, she's fifteen not five, and yes, that's Wanda."

Wanda's eyes went a little wide at being called out. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not, little witch." Natasha reassured the girl with a warm smile. "And even if you were it would be alright. It's not like an interruption wouldn't stop her from nagging me, she's done it while I was in the middle of a fight before."

Angie huffed from the screen. "I wouldn't nag you if you'd come home and have dinner with your mother and me, Natasha Elizabeth."

That actually made Wanda smile. She'd never really heard anyone speak to the Black Widow that way before, even the English woman's tone had been different while they were on the helicarrier and in the refugee camp. Wanda had figured it was because they'd been there on official matters, and she hadn't been around the two during any personal moments to notice if they interacted differently.

"See, look, Wanda likes the idea." Angie beamed, catching the girl's small but genuine smile. "So it's settled, you two will come to dinner on Sunday. Nothing big, just us, and Clint if he's around."

"Ma!" Natasha scolded. They'd just spent twenty minutes talking about not pushing Wanda into things she wasn't ready for. The girl was still grieving and Natasha didn't want to hurt her by exposing her to something, like a family get together, that would just be a painful reminder of what she'd lost.

"It's alright, Nat." Wanda says as she comes closer. She bits her lip, her thoughts and emotions swirling a bit, and then says, "I wouldn't mind going."

Natasha blinked, surprised. "Are you sure, Wanda?" The girl nods, and Natasha looks at her for a long moment to make sure before she smiles proudly at her. "Alright then, I guess we'll be there, Ma."

"Great!" Angie cheers. "Wanda, baby, tell Natasha what you like to eat and I'll see if I can make it. Whatever you want hun, just let her know so she can tell me."

Wanda blinked in surprise this time. "Um, ok?"

"Absolutely ok!" Angie was beaming. "We will see you both on Sunday! We're looking forward to finally meeting Wanda in person!"

"Angela Carter did you bully our daughter into coming to dinner?" Called out an English voice from off screen.

"One of us had to do it, English." Angie replied as she turned her head to look at the woman who'd spoken.

Natasha was laughing and shaking her head. "I'm hanging up now. Bye Ma. Bye Mum!" After ending the video call she turned to Wanda and said, "You don't have to go if you're not ready, Wanda."

Wanda smiles softly. "I know. I want to. I promise."

"Ok little witch, if you're sure." Natasha smiles and playfully tugs at the girl's ponytail. "Go take a shower kiddo you stink. Steve must have gone hard on you guys today. I'll order dinner and you can pick which movie we watch tonight as long as it's not Hocus Pocus for the twenty-fifth time this month."

"Stark keeps calling me Sabrina." Wanda frowned. She still wasn't Tony's biggest fan, and might never be, but she at least stopped outwardly hating him once she was made aware of his connection to Natasha. If Natasha liked him then he couldn't be completely evil, right? "Can we watch why he calls me that?"

Natasha chuckled. "Sure, but it's not a movie it's a t.v. show so that's going to require binge watching snacks." Swiping her finger across her tablet Natasha started making a list of snacks to order along with dinner. "Do you want to try a new ice cream or do you want Chunky Monkey again?"

"I think something new." Wanda replied as she made her way towards her bedroom and her ensuite bath to shower and change into a pair of the comfy lounge pants and t-shirt Natasha had bought for her.

It was cute the way Wanda worried about what to wear to dinner, even though Natasha repeatedly told her to just wear what made her most comfortable. The girl ended up going with a simple black pleated skirt and a nice sweater. She bounced her leg nervously in the car on the drive to Brooklyn, and Natasha did her best to reassure her. When they pulled up in front of the faded red brick brownstone Natasha turned to the girl and asked, "You good, kiddo? We don't have to do this, my moms will understand if we cancel."

Wanda nodded with a warm smile. She was a little nervous sure, but Natasha didn't need to be so overprotective. "Are your mothers dangerous, Natasha?"

"What? No, of course not." Natasha replied quickly with a bit of a confused look on her face.

"Then stop, what is the phrase Clint uses, oh, stop mother henning me about it." Wanda huffed at her.

Natasha held up her hands in a gesture of surrender and laughed. "Ok, ok, I'll chill."

The pair heads into the house after Natasha unlocks the door and shoves her keys, which still hang from the black widow keychain Peter had given her years ago, into the pocket of her black leather jacket before she hangs it up. Natasha calls out to her mothers just as she always does as she takes Wanda's red leather jacket and hangs it beside her own on the rack beside the door. As they walk into the living room together it's Peggy who greets them first, and Natasha smiles as her mother hugs her hello.

"Alright then, poppet?" Peggy asks as she eyes her daughter carefully despite the fact that she knows Natasha hasn't been out in the field much since taking on the responsibility of looking after Wanda.

"I'm good, Mum." Natasha smiles at her mother.

Stepping back from her daughter Peggy nods her approval after she finishes looking her over, then she turns her attention to the girl and smiles at the young woman hiding behind Natasha. "Hello Wanda, it's nice to see you again."

"Hello Director Carter." Wanda replies softly. "Thank you for inviting me over."

Peggy smiles warmly. "You're welcome dear, and please call me Peggy if you're comfortable with that, if not Mrs. Carter is fine." She chuckles softly. "Peter still calls me Mrs. Carter."

Natasha laughs as she flops into her mother's reading chair. "If I weren't dating his aunt he'd still be calling me Ms. Natasha." Reaching over to grab the paper from the side table her mother must have been reading before their arrival she crinkles her nose. "The Daily Bugle? I thought you gave up on reading fifty papers everyday? Especially the crap ones."

"Wanda, dear, make yourself at home." Peggy tells the girl hovering near Natasha nervously in a warm and welcoming tone while indicating the sofa for the girl to sit. "Can I get you something to drink, dear? Natasha says you've become quite fond of orange soda, so we made sure to pick some up."

"You didn't have to go through any trouble." Wanda replies.

"No trouble at all, sweetheart." Peggy says as she moves to the sidebar to fetch the girl a glass of soda while responding to her daughter who now has her legs thrown over the arm of her chair, which makes Peggy rolls her eyes. "I never read fifty papers a day."

"We had a basket on the front porch just for all the papers we'd get every morning." Natasha snorted as she picks up the china cup on the side table and downs whatever's in it. She crinkles her nose both because her mother never put enough sugar in her tea for Natasha's liking, and because of the headline of the trashy newspaper. "Spider-Man: Hero or Menace?"

"What's a spider man?" Wanda asks from where she's perched on the end of the sofa closest to Natasha.

"A new vigilante in Queens." Peggy replies as she hands Wanda a glass with ice and her soda in it.

Wanda smiles warmly at Natasha's English mother. "Thank you."

"Looks like a kid in a costume." Natasha comments as she examines the pictures in the paper closely.

"I'm a kid in a costume." Wanda teases.

"You're an Avenger in training with a uniform." Natasha replies as she tosses the paper back down on the side table once she's finished looking it over. "I don't like the idea of civilians putting on homemade costumes and going out into the streets to fight crime. It's dangerous."

"It's not unexpected." Peggy says as she retrieves her tea cup, her favorite tea cup which Natasha had given her when she was a girl, from the table where Natasha set it after draining it. "Once the Avengers went public, it was only a matter of time before things like this started happening. I'm sure Nicholas has an eye on the matter." Natasha snickered and Peggy rolled her eyes again. "Really Natasha?"

"It will never not be funny." Natasha replies.

"That had better not be shop talk I hear." Angie scolds as she comes into the room with a dish towel over her shoulder and her apron on. "I have a damp dish towel and I'm not afraid to use it on the both of you."

Natasha pops out of the chair to hug her Ma hello and then smiles as she introduces her to Wanda. "Ma, this is Wanda, live and in the flesh. You can stop trying to sneak a peek at her when you video call me now. Wanda, this is my Ma, Angie."

Wanda stands to greet Natasha's other mother and is quickly pulled into a hug that leaves her a bit wide-eyed. When she looks over at Natasha all the redhead does is smirk and shrug. Natasha had warned her ahead of time that her American mother was a hugger, and a bit more than she might be used to.

"Nattie said you would be ok with anything so I made lasagna." Angie said as she pulled back from the hug and smiled at the girl. "It's pretty basic and simple."

"That sounds wonderful." Wanda returned the smile. "Clint is jealous, he says you cook better than his wife, and that I shouldn't say that around Laura."

Natasha laughed. "Hell, even Laura says it."

"Laura admitting it and Clint saying it in front of her are two differant things." Peggy chuckled. "He knows it's best to keep his wife happy."

"Happy wife, happy life, right Peg?" Angie teased.

"Absolutely my darling." Peggy replies as she kisses her wife's cheek.

Natasha rolled her eyes but she was smiling. Any show of annoyance over her mothers displays of affection were purely playful teasing. Natasha took a lot of comfort and a great amount of pride in the fact that after so long together her mothers were still in love with one another. She was also grateful that her mothers were making sure that the evening was as relaxed and normal as possible, and were able to get Wanda to smile and laugh more than once during the evening.

"Wait, hold up," Natasha says, eyes wide as her gaze darts between Wanda and Peggy as the four of them sit around the dining room table. Wanda had been telling them about her first time at Avengers' Tower with Steve when Natasha cut in. "What the hell do you mean she just picks up Thor's hammer and hands it to him?"

"Natasha Elizabeth, watch your mouth at the dinner table." Angie scolds.

Natasha rolls her eyes and then turns and stares at her mum in awe.

Peggy chuckles. "Nattie, darling, why are you looking at me like a suffocating fish?"

"You know why." Natasha replies.

"I don't." Angie says as she looks between the others.

Natasha turns to her ma and explains, "There's a spell or an enchantment or some such shit,"

"Strike two, Natasha." Angie warns. "Don't get to three little girl."

Again Natasha rolls her eyes. Wanda looks amused as hell.

"Anyway," Natasha goes on. "Thor's hammer can only be lifted by someone deemed worthy enough to wield the powers of a god. No one else on the team has ever been able to lift it, not even Steve."

Peggy hadn't known that, the part about not even Steve being able to lift it, she did know about the enchantment because she was aware of what happened in New Mexico. Now she understood the looks of awe and wonder she'd gotten when she'd picked up Thor's hammer then, and the look Natasha had given her just now, and it made her blush.

One of the best parts of the evening was when Wanda laughed over a story about Natasha as a child. Natasha didn't see the flicker of guilt that so often followed light hearted, happy moments. Watching her mothers with Wanda, and watching Wanda open herself up to their easy affections, sent a rush of warmth through Natasha that started deep in her heart and spread quickly to every cell in her body. The look of pure bliss on Wanda's face when she tried Angie's tiramisu for the first time was the cherry on top of an evening that went better than Natasha could have expected, but probably should have because of course her mothers would be up to the challenge of connecting with a child in need of love and security.

By the end of the evening there were plans made to do it again, and the promise of Peggy making a traditional English roast dinner. On the way back to the compound Natasha glances over at Wanda to find her smirking. "What's so funny, little witch?"

"I don't think those Hydra soldiers who used to guard us, the ones who were so terrified of the famous Black Widow would be afraid as much if they knew she liked to cuddle with her mothers while she watched a movie or pouted whenever they scolded her." Wanda teased.

"Sure they would, because that back there wasn't the Black Widow, that was just Natasha Carter." Natasha replied with a smile. "It's important to find a balance between who we really are in real life, and who we are as Avengers, Wanda. I'm always Natasha Carter, but I'm not always the Black Widow, I can't be. I'd lose myself if I were."

With the dinner with mothers having gone so well Natasha decided to set up an evening for Wanda to meet May and Peter. May had played a big part in convincing Natasha that she was capable of giving Wanda what she needed, and now that the girl was a permanent fixture in her life, it was long past time that she met the other people who mattered to Natasha. They kept it simple, they went out to dinner and a movie. Peter being Peter was excited to meet Wanda, and wanted her to like him. Wanda for her part, was a little leery, especially around Peter. He was her age, which meant he was her brother's age, and being around him was difficult at first. But Peter was persistent without being overbearing, and eventually he and Wanda became good friends.

Steve had told Wanda about his list, all the things he'd missed out on while frozen that he wanted to experience, and she'd started making her own list. While Wanda was in no way a fan of Natasha's opera and ballet music, she very much wanted to experience Broadway. Of course this was something Angie had to be apart of and promised to take Wanda to any and every show she wanted to see.

Natasha wasn't sure what had started it. Perhaps it was hearing her Mum explain to Wanda why she was wearing a red poppy pin back in November, the part about the poppy flower blooming so beautifully out of something so horrific and giving people hope. It reminded Natasha of the way Wanda was blooming out of the darkness she'd living through, and how the girl was growing more bright and hopefully with each passing day. Perhaps it was also because Natasha remembered the way Wanda's powers felt, the sleepy, dazed, feeling that was remanence of the effects poppies could have on the body. Maybe it even had something to do with the color of the flower and Wanda's preference for red. There was also the fact that Natasha had been called poppet by her mother her whole life, and whether she realized it yet or not, poppy was very close to poppet. For all of these reasons, though Natasha was unaware of them at the moment, she'd started calling Wanda, "Poppy, are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Wanda said excitedly. "I've been wanting to see Wicked for a long time."

"I know." Natasha replied as they got ready to head out to the theater with her mothers, May, and Peter. "But, honey, you didn't exactly have the best reaction to the Wizard of Oz."

"Peter says this will help me understand the witch better." Wanda insists.

"Ok, baby, if you're sure." Natasha gives in.

"Nat." Wanda glares at the older woman. "You're mother henning me again."

"I get to mother hen you all I want." Natasha huffed. "I have the legal paperwork to say I'm allowed."

There had been an issue with Wanda's legal status and guardianship a few months back. Some asshats in immigration and the state department wanted to deport her out of fear of her powers. Natasha was ready to handle things but she didn't have to once her mother found out. After Peggy Carter descended on state department in all her Peggy Carter glory not only was Wanda's residency safe, but she was on track for adoption and citizenship because, "No one bloody railroads my granddaughter out of some damn bigoted fear of her being different!"

Wanda rolls her eyes at Natasha, but she's also smiling. She smiles a lot more and a lot easier these days. While she will always miss those she lost, she was also grateful for those she'd found, and she knows in her heart that her parents and her brother would be grateful too. Wanda isn't alone, she has people who love her, and in time she will come to realize she has a family again.


	16. Chapter 16

Peggy's Favorite Teacup

Life was a little tense these days. The Martinelli-Carters had recently moved from their beloved faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn to a colonial style house in a Maryland suburb that would allow Peggy to commute by car to D.C. and Angie to Manhattan by train. They still owned the brownstone, Peggy and Angie had decided to keep it and rent it out, knowing that someday they wanted to return to New York. They were still settling into their new colonial home with it's warm gray siding, actual front porch, and bright red door. How Angie had managed to get a door the same shade of red as Peggy's favorite lipstick and hat, Peggy had no clue, but it had been a nice surprise when they pulled into the driveway for the first time after leaving New York with a very sullen Natasha. The little redhead was not happy one bit about the move, and was starting to try her mothers' patience.

Between settling the house, tending to her family, and SHIELD, Peggy was spread pretty thin. She was stressed, and a but short tempered, and just generally not in the best of moods lately. She did her best not to bring her fowl moods home, choosing to take things out on the young agents in her still under construction Triskelion, but she couldn't help but carry some of that stress and tension with her at all times these days.

Natasha was in the midst of a growth spurt, much to her relief, she was always the smallest kid in her peer groups and it was starting to really bother her. She was always hungry, was napping a lot, and most of her clothes were or were getting too small. Which is why she was currently walking beside her mother as they crossed the parking lot towards the entrance of their local mall. Shopping in New York was different than shopping in a Maryland/DC suburban mall, and Natasha found it both strange and overwhelming but also kind of cool and exciting. Stepping into the building her blue-green eyes darted around taking it all in while trying to keep up with her mother's purposeful pace. They were there to get Natasha some new clothes and shoes, which Natasha wasn't all together thrilled about because she didn't really care about clothes yet. So what if most of her jeans were starting to creep up her ankles, they were still wearable as far as she was concerned. And who cared if her red Converse were tattered and dirty, and that her toes were a little cramped, she loved her Converse! But her Mum had announced at breakfast that after they dropped her Mama off at the train station so she could go into NYC for an audition, they would be heading to the mall to pick up new clothes.

"Mum," Natasha said as they passed a pet store. "Can we go to the pet shop?" She smiled a bit as she patted her Minnie Mouse crossbody bag that held her Little Mermaid wallet, which contained several weeks of saved up allowance. "I want to get Rosie a new toy."

"Maybe after we're finished, Nattie." Peggy replied as she made a beeline towards the first store on her mental itinerary.

Natasha pouted and pointed to the pet shop they were quickly passing by. "But, Mum, it's right there."

"If we have time after we're finished, Natasha." Peggy said gently put firmly. "Come along now, love. I have a conference call I need to be home for later." Peggy looks at her daughter and gives her a tired but warm smile as she looks the girl up and down. "Trousers and shirts first and then we'll see what we can do about those ratty old trainers."

Natasha sighed and once again did her best to keep up with her mum. "I like my shoes." Natasha grumbles once her mother isn't paying such close attention to her.

The first couple of stores aren't too bad, and Peggy lets her get the same red Chucks only in a bigger size, but Natasha starts to get antsy when they reach the department store after taking their bags to the car and grabbing a snack at the pretzel place. Natasha knows time is growing short and they'll have to head home soon so her mother can make her phone meeting, and the last thing the girl wanted to do was spend what time they had left looking at dresses, skirts, and blouses. Natasha chewed her lip as she watched her mum shift through a rack of fall sweaters, a tiny bubble of resentment started to form in her chest. Ever since her mothers told her that they were moving Natasha had felt like she didn't have a say in anything going on in her life. It felt like she was on one of those fast spinny rides at the carnival and no one was letting her get off. She had to give up her room, in her house, and all of her friends. They leave the busy bustling city for a quiet suburb where the houses are too far apart and there's no noise, no traffic, or rush of people, nothing that Natasha is used too. Natasha felt like she was being dragged around without anyone hearing her unspoken protests of stop for a minute I'm feeling overwhelmed, and she was sick of it.

Before she could think about what she was doing Natasha was heading back out into the mall on her own while Peggy continued to peruse through the racks. The pet store wasn't too far from the store they were in, she'd just pop over and get Rosie's new toy on her own before they had to leave. As Natasha headed in what she thought was the direction of the pet store, she let go of that little bubble of resentment she'd been feeling as her little chest swelled with a bit of bravery and pride, but then she started thinking. The move and all the changes lately hadn't been easy on her mothers either, and her mum in particular seemed more stressed and tense than usual. Another reason to hate it here, her Mum seemed almost unhappy these days. Natasha sighed, she wished they could go back to Brooklyn and be happy again.

As she passed by a small shop Natasha stopped at a warm and familiar scent that wafted from within as someone opened the door and walked out. It smelled like the small cabinet in the kitchen where her Mum kept all of her teas. Natasha looked over at the shop where the familiar smell came from and noticed something in the small display window. It was a pretty white teacup with purple flowers on it, sitting on a matching saucer. The little redhead smiled to herself as she looked at it. Sometimes when her Mama was sad or seemed to be unhappy her Mum would buy her something pretty to cheer her up, and Natasha wondered if that would work on her Mum too. Stepping into the shop, that turned out to be a whole store for tea and tea related things, Natasha walked up to the counter. "Excuse me, I'd like to buy the pretty teacup in the window please. It's for my Mum."

Mere moments after Natasha walked off Peggy plucks a lovely pale green sweater from the rack with a warm smile and holds it out in the direction of where she expected her daughter to be. "What do you think, poppet? It's going to be chilly when we go to London, you'll need a few new warm jumpers." But Natasha wasn't there. Peggy's dark eyes darted around as she turned to look out over the rest of the area. "Natasha?" A small flicker of panic began to ignite in Peggy's chest as she began searching for her little girl in the racks. "Natasha Elizabeth, this isn't funny young lady. Where are you?"

The flicker of panic began to grow into a blazing fire with each second Peggy spent looking for her child. It wasn't like Natasha to wander off, she knew better than that, so of course Peggy's worry led right into her worst fears. Had someone, one of her enemies, an enemy of SHIELD, taken her little girl? Natasha wasn't anywhere in the department store. Peggy did her best to reign in her darker thoughts as she stepped out into the mall. Her brown eyes stung with panic fueled tears as her gaze darted around looking for any sign of her daughter, a wisp of red hair, a flash of the bright blue shirt she was wearing, anything. "Natasha?" Taking a deep breath Peggy gathered up all of the overpowering emotions clouding her thoughts and calmed herself enough to think. "The pet store."

Stepping out of the tea shop Natasha smiled with pride as she patted her bag where the boxed and wrapped teacup was not snuggled safely beside her far more empty wallet. Pretty china tea cups with matching saucers cost a bit more than a new dog toy, but that was ok because Natasha just knew it was going to make her Mum smile. The nice lady had even helped her pick out a yummy loose left tea that she put in a cute little pouch and tucked into the cup before she wrapped it up. Natasha couldn't wait to give her mummy her new present but as Natasha began heading back towards the department store she'd left Peggy in she realized she wasn't sure how to get back. An uncomfortable knot began forming in her stomach, and her little chest felt tight as her panic grew. Fear set in quickly as Natasha's blue-green eyes darted around as she tried to find her bearings, but she hadn't been paying attention as she walked and she didn't know the mall, and now the tears were starting to well.

Natasha wasn't in the pet store and no one who worked there had seen her so Peggy began searching the area between the pet store and the department store. Her well trained and experienced gaze took in every face, every figure, every nook and cranny until they landed on a red ponytail whipping back and forth as a small head turned this way and that as if looking around wildly. Rushing towards that flash of red hair Peggy called out, "Natasha?"

Natasha whipped around at the sound of her mummy's voice, her blue-green gaze searching her out until it lands on Peggy as she rushes towards her. "Mummy."

Peggy's fear gives way to relief as she reaches Natasha and pulls the girl into a crushing hug. "Oh thank god." She breathes as she holds her daughter tightly and drops a kiss on the crown of Natasha's head. Peggy takes a deep breath, pulling in Natasha's scent to calm her own nerves. She can feel Natasha trembling, and can hear the soft sniff muffled by having her face pressed into Peggy's chest. Pulling back before she can accidentally suffocate her wayward child Peggy grips Natasha's upper arms and looks her over. "Are you alright, darling?"

"Y-yes." Natasha replies softly as the knot in her stomach unwinds a bit. Her voice quivers, her cheeks are tear streaked, but having her mother hug her so tightly had chased away the trembling. "I just didn't know how to get back to the store you were at."

Peggy relaxed a little more knowing Natasha was alright just a little frightened. She pulled her girl close again and held her a moment longer, needing to feel her safe and sound in her arms. "You gave me such a fright, Natasha!" Now that she had Natasha safe in her arms Peggy let the anger come, and it came on strong. Releasing Natasha from the hug Peggy took half a step back so she could look down at her daughter with a stern, angry expression. "Natasha Elizabeth Luisa Martinelli Carter!"

Natasha blinked at the use of her full name. Her Mum used a word sometimes, bullocks, that she wasn't allowed to us yet so she'd come up with, Oh biscuits, as a substitute. Watching the shift between fear, relief, and anger playing out on her mother's face and hearing her full name used as those same emotions laced her mother's voice, oh biscuits really didn't seem strong enough to really define the releazion of just how much trouble she was in.

"You know better than to wander off like that!" Peggy scolded, not caring one bit if people were glancing over at them as she towered over her errant child. Honestly the girl was lucky that she didn't take her right over to the bench behind them and pull Natasha over her lap right here and right now. "What the bloody hell were you thinking, young lady?" Natasha actually went to answer her and Peggy shook her head. "No, you know what, we're not doing this here. We're going home Natasha Elizabeth Lusia, where you and I can have a proper talk about this totally unacceptable behavior."

Fuck. Fuck was a word she'd heard both of her mothers, Uncle Howard, Uncle Dum Dum, and even Tony use before, and it seemed like the much better choice for the situration. As her mother grabbed her hand and began pracitcally dragging her out to the car, Natasha decided that yes, fuck seemed like the perfect word right now.

The drive home gave Peggy time to get a better grip on herself, not enough to deal with things as soon as they walked into the house, but enough that when they did walk through the door she managed to send Natasha to her room without raising her voice. She kept her tone stern but not harsh as she said, "Go to your room Natasha Elizabeth. I'll be up shortly to handle the matter, and then you and I need to talk."

Handle the matter, Natasha sighed as she trudged up the stairs to her room. She was totally getting more than just grounded for this. Which, yeah, sure, ok, looking back on what happened wandering the mall alone without telling her mother she was leaving could have been dangerous, but it wasn't like she was a baby or a small child. Though she had managed to get herself lost in the process of trying to feel like she had some control over something in her life for a moment. Was that what ironic meant? In trying to feel a bit in control, she ended up losing more control, and now she was doomed. Was there a word stronger than fuck for these kinds of siturations? She'd have to ask Tony.

Peggy watched Natasha trudge up the stairs like a condemned man shuffling off to his fate. Well, at least the girl had enough sense to know how much trouble she was in, even if she didn't seem to have enough sense not to get into it in the first place. With a heavy sigh Peggy made her way to the kitchen where she filled up her kettle and set it to boil. While she waited she retrieved the cordless phone from it's charger on the wall and dialed her wife's mobile number. She needed to talk this out with Angie. She also needed the reassurance and soothing that came from hearing her wife's voice before she could move on.

"Hello?" Angie's voice came over the line.

"Hello darling." Peggy sighed into the phone.

"Hey English!" Angie said cheerfully and then laughed. "Having a phone in my purse is still such a trip. Such a long way from sharing a pay phone at the Griffith. Anyway, hon, what's up? How was shopping? I'm sorry I missed out. Did you remember she needed new dress shoes too?"

Reaching for a box of herbal tea from the small corner cabinet decided to just her tea collection, Peggy let Angie's voice wash over her. Then she sighed heavily and said, "Natasha wandered off from me and it took nearly fifteen mintues for me to find her."

"What?" Angie's voice instantly shifted from cheerful to concerned. She listened to Peggy retell the events that unfolded at the mall and then she asked, "Is she ok? Are you ok?"

"We're both rather shaken." Peggy admits. "But she's fine, unharmed, safe, upstairs in her room."

"Good." Angie replies as she shakes her head. "What the hell was she thinking? She knows better than that. Do you need me to come home early? I will. I'll come home and be the heavy this time."

"No, love, I can handle it." Peggy replies, grateful for the offer though. As she pours the hot water over the tea bag in her cup, and watches the dark color of the tea swirl into and over take the transcendence of the water, Peggy sighs. "Maybe we misjudged just how hard this move has been on her. It's the only thing that I can come up with for her to pull a stunt like this."

"Yeah, could be, probably is." Angie agreed. "But that's no excuse, she knows she can talk to us. Geesh Peggy, knowin' you, you went to all the worst places in your head, you must have been freakin' out. I'm comin' home. I'll grab the next train and take a taxi back so you don't have to come get me."

"Darling you don't have to miss your audition for…" Peggy began.

"Shut up, English, you're talkin' too much." Angie cut her off. "Finish your tea, babe. Then when you got yourself all pulled together go upstairs and do what you gotta do. I'll be home as soon as I can get there. And Peg, you're a wonderful mother, remember that, and I love you."

"I love you too, darling." Peggy replies, feeling much better than she had five minutes ago. After hanging up Peggy set the phone down on the table where she sat with her tea. While she and Angie had grown into admirable adults, they didn't necessarily want to parent their own child in the same manner they'd been raised in. She and Angie had grown up in a different time, with different ways of thinking about things. Natasha was the kind of child where a stern verbal chastisement and disapproving tone from them could make her bottom lip quiver and her eyes well with tears. But something like this, when she'd put herself in what could have been a potentially dangerous situation, this is just the circumstance they saved this course of action for. Peggy hated it, but she knew it had to be done. So she finished her tea, took a deep breath, and then headed upstairs to discipline her daughter.

Nearly thirty minutes later Peggy was back in the kitchen once again making tea, two small mugs of peppermint tea, one sweeter than the other. The sweeter one she gently blew on as she carried the mugs out to the living room. When she walked into the room she watched Natasha trying to awkwardly sit on the sofa without actually sitting on her bottom and it pinched at her heart. "Here you go poppet," Peggy said gently as she held out the sweeter of the two teas. When Natasha took the mug and brought it to her lips she added, "Sip it, love, it's hot tea not that fake orange juice rubbish you like so much."

Natasha rolled her puffy red from crying eyes. "I'm not a baby, Mummy. I know how to drink tea."

"Well," Peggy huffed playfully as she sat beside Natasha on the sofa and gently pulled the girl close after setting her own tea on the side table. "We have raised you far to American for my taste and I just wanted to make sure."

She'd been punished and forgiven, and the stone of guilt she'd had in her stomach over scaring her mother so badly was gone, but Natasha was feeling a bit clingy now so she eagerly snuggled into her mother's side. She sipped at her tea and waited, because now that the punishment part was over, the actual talking part was coming, and she knew that her mother was just waiting until Natasha had fully calmed down from her punishment.

"Nattie," Peggy had waited a few more moments, combing her fingers through Natasha's hair and watching her sip her tea. "Darling, we've talked about there being untrustworthy and dangerous people in the world, and how children can be hurt or come up missing sometimes. So why would you wander off like that? I know it wasn't just impatience over getting Rosie a toy."

Natasha sighed, and for a few seconds just looked into her cup. When she felt a gentle nudge from her mother she looked up, shrugged, and said, "I just decided to do it."

Peggy tilted her head a bit as she looked into her baby girl's eyes. She hadn't been sure how Natasha would respond, this whole event had her baffled, but that wasn't even close to a maybe as far as responses go. "You just decided to do it?"

"Mmhmm." Natasha nodded. "It was my choice."

It took a minute to think through but then the penny dropped. Oh, Peggy thought. Oh! There it was. "Mama and I have been making a lot of decisions that have created a lot of change in our lives lately haven't we?" Natasha nodded. "And you've had no choice but to go along with it all."

"Yeah." Natasha sighed and shrugged as if it weren't a big deal even though it was.

"Nattie, you know Mama and I wouldn't put us all through so much change if it wasn't good for us all right?" Peggy asked as she titled Natasha's head up by placing a gentle finger under her chin.

"I guess so." Natasha replied with another shrug.

Now Peggy was the one feeling a tight knot forming in her stomach. It was clear that Natasha was holding something back, something her girl was worried would hurt her feelings perhaps? Peggy needed to know so she pushed gently. "You guess so?"

Natasha sighed, "It's just that I thought… Nevermind."

"No." Peggy said gently but firmly, as she reached for Natasha's chin when the girl ducked her head to avoid looking at her. "You thought what, sweetheart? Tell me. You can tell me."

Natasha sighed again. She struggled with saying the words and giving voice to her thoughts. She didn't want to hurt her Mummy's feelings, but she could only hold out for so long when Peggy looked at her like that, all understanding and supportive and gently demanding. "I thought you were doing it for you, cause you're work is here now, but Mama's is in New York, and my friends and my school and all my stuff was in New York too."

Somehow Peggy managed not to audabily whimper. Natasha was giving voice to things Peggy had worried about herself. Was she being selfish by asking Angie to pack up their family, their lives, and moving it here just so she could be closer to work? Was she putting SHIELD before her family by doing this? Angie had been reassuring and supportive, and even excited about getting the big house with the big fenced in yard. Her only demand had been that they move some place where she could still somewhat easily make it into the city for her own work, and that wherever they moved offered good things for Natasha and wouldn't force her to give up any of her activities. Which they had, Natasha would be enrolled in the best private school, attend an acclaimed dance school under a renowned teacher, take lessons at an award winning martial arts center, and once they found the right gymnast program she'd be able to continue that as well. But still, the person who benefited most from this move had been Peggy herself, there was no denying that. Peggy sighed softly, "Nattie…"

"But I don't think that anymore, Mummy." Natasha continued quickly as she watched the hurt and worry play out in Peggy's big brown eyes. Peggy was good at keeping her emotions off her face most of the time, but she couldn't hide the emotions in her eyes, not from the people who loved her.

"You don't?" Peggy replied, her voice soft and low to make sure Natasha couldn't pick up on any more of her sudden distress.

Natasha shook her head. "You haven't been you since we moved here."

Peggy blinked. "How do you mean, my darling?"

Natasha shrugged at first, not really sure how to put it into words, but then she said, "You come home late a lot now, and when you don't you come home tired and grouchy. You kind of smile when Mama's talking really fast and being silly, but you don't laugh. You promised we could start reading Little Women, but we haven't. You kiss Mama's cheek in the morning before you leave, but you don't kiss her all icky and eye rollie for no reason like you use too." Natasha shrugged again, not sure she was making any sense. "I don't know, you just don't do the stuff you do when you're happy, so I don't think you're happy here either."

"Oh poppet." Peggy breathes out as she takes Natasha's mug and sets it aside before pulling her little girl into her arms and holding her close as her eyes fill with unshed tears. "Oh Nattie, my darling, sometimes Mummy forgets just how perceptive and observant you are."

When she realized her mother was trying to hold back tears Natasha squeezed her tight for a long time and then pulled back. "Don't cry Mummy." She smiled as she wiggled out of her mother's arms. "Don't move, ok. I'll be right back."

Peggy blinked as she watched Natasha dash upstairs, causing a few tears to fall which she wiped away with annoyance. Between the move and work she has been incredibly stressed lately, but she hadn't realized it was having such an effect on her family. Angie hadn't said anything, normally when she got like this Angie called her out before it got to the point where she was brooding and picking fights with her wife. Maybe she hadn't reached a point yet where Angie felt the need to say something, but clearly Natasha's limit for Peggy's shite was lower than her mother's, and the girl just didn't know how to call Peggy out without getting herself into trouble. Peggy put her head in her hands as she doubled over on the sofa and sighed. When she heard Natasha on the stairs she sat up and took a deep breath, schooling her features and doing her best to smile. When Natasha returned she had a small box in her hands and a bright smile on her face. "What's that, poppet?"

"It's for you, Mummy." Natasha replied as she held the box out for her mother to take. "I saw it when I was looking for the pet store and I thought it might make you smile, so I bought it instead of a toy for Rosie. She's a dog, she's always happy."

Taking the box Peggy was more than a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. Natasha urged her to open it so she did, discovering a teacup and saucer nestled protectively in tissue paper. "Oh, poppet," Peggy breathed as she pulled the cup free of the box. "It's lovely, my darling."

Natasha beamed happily, proudly, at the smile on her mother's face. "When Mama's sad you bring her pretty things like flowers, or if she's really sad a pretty new dress, and it makes her happy again, so I thought maybe if I got you a pretty new teacup you'd be happy again too."

Natasha's observational skills were astounding. Running the pad of her thumb over the purple flowers Peggy indeed smiled, her heart swelling with love and pride and astonishment. Setting the teacup back into the box, she placed it on the side table carefully and then reached out and pulled Natasha into her arms once again. "I love it, poppet, thank you." She let go of Natasha just enough to give herself space to kiss her forehead, the tip of her nose, and both of her cheeks. Later Peggy would make sure that Natasha understood that it was the gesture of thinking of someone that made them happy or gave them comfort, more so than the item itself, because she was fairly sure her little poppet had spent a good portion of her saved allowance on her new favorite teacup.

It took Angie longer to get home than she liked, and she muttered about it the whole time until she walked through their front door and into the living room. Finding Peggy and Natasha cuddled up together on the sofa wasn't surprising, but finding Peggy in tears was. It wasn't uncommon for which ever one had to punish Natasha this way to end up in tears afterward, but that happened when they were alone in their room with the other one to comfort and reassure them. Certainly not in front of Natasha! What on earth had she missed?

"Hi Mama." Natasha said a bit timidly when her mother walked into the room.

Angie shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it onto Peggy's armchair, and then toed off her heels as she crossed the room. When she was closer to the sofa she crouched down and crooked her finger at her daughter.

Natasha sighed a heavy sigh. "You told Mama."

"Of course I told Mama." Peggy replied as she released her hold on her girl so she could face her mama.

Natasha knew she wouldn't be punished twice so she wasn't worried about that as she slipped off the sofa and walked over to her mama, but she did know she was gonna get an ear full of her mama's option on the matter. Once she was standing in front of Angie, blue-green eyes locked onto blue-green eyes, Natasha gave her mother a sheepish smile and repeated, "Hi Mama."

"Hi Natasha Elizabeth." Angie replied, her voice firm but kind. "You and Mummy talk about how you ain't a stupid kid, but what you did today was really freakin' stupid?"

"Yes." Natasha bobbed her head up and down. Of course that's not how Peggy phrased it, she understood her mothers had vastly different ways of talking, and she knew Angie wasn't being demeaning, not that she knew what demeaning meant just yet.

"You talk about how it's dangerous for you to wander off like that and how we need to know where you are to make sure you're safe?" Angie asked next.

"Yes Mama." Natasha replied.

"Did you apologize for scaring the ever lovin' crap out of your Mummy the way you did today?" Was Angie's next question. Reaching out she tucked Natasha's hair behind her ears while maintaining eye contact with her.

Natasha nodded as her eyes began to well with fresh tears. "Yes. I'm sorry, Mama."

"I know you are, baby." Angie replied, brushing away a tear that was rolling down Natasha's cheek. "I'm not mad at ya, angel, I ain't gonna scold ya again. Mummy already handled that yeah? Spanked ya, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Natasha blushed deeply.

"Then all's forgiven, angel." Angie reassures her daughter. "I just wanted to make sure you understood things, and to make sure you know not to do it again."

"I won't, Mama. I promise." Natasha sniffled.

Angie reached out and pulled Natasha into a tight hug, kissing her temple, and looking over her shoulder at Peggy. Once Angie locked eyes with her wife she mouthed, 'Are you ok?' Peggy nodded. "It sounds like my best gals have had a pretty rough day." She says as she lets Natasha out of the hug. Reaching up she brushes the tear tracks from her baby's face and smiles. "I think tonight is a pizza and movie night on the couch kinda night. I'll order the pizza and you go pick out a movie, ok baby?"

"Ok." Natasha says softly before dashing off to the basement to look through their home movie collection.

Once they were alone Angie walked over to where Peggy sat and sat beside her, pulling her wife into her arms and hugging her tight. She didn't say a word, they would talk about feelings later after Peggy had time to deal with them herself, for right now it was just about comfort and reassurance. When they heard Natasha returning Angie finally let Peggy go and muttered, "Please not Hocus Pocus again, please not Hocus Pocus again, please not Hocus Pocus again." She heard her wife laugh, a sound she hadn't heard in awhile and it warmed Angie's heart. "What? No offense to the Divine Miss. M, whom I love and adore, but if I have to hear, I Put a Spell on You, one more time, I'm gonna lose it, Pegs."

Peggy's response was to pull her wife into a kiss.

"Hey!" Natasha protested as she came into the room with her selection. "You're not supposed to do that until the end of the movie!"

Peggy laughed again as she pulled away from her wife to ask, "What did you pick, poppet?" Natasha held up her choice and Peggy smiled. "The Princess Bride?"

"Yeap!" Natasha nodded her head. "Mummy can we have popcorn too?"

"I suppose so." Peggy replies. "Though if Mama doesn't order those pizzas we may have to have it for dinner."

"I'm on it." Angie says as she reaches across her wife to snatch up the cordless phone from the side table. "What's in the box, Peg?"

Peggy smiles, her gaze locked with Natasha's as she says, "My new favorite teacup."


	17. Chapter 17

Peggy Carter, newly minted mother of one, sat in her favorite chair in the living room of the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn she shared with the woman she loved. In her arms wrapped in a soft pink blanket and dressed in a tiny white full body onesie with little gray rabbits on it, was her newborn daughter. Natasha was only a few weeks old and still so tiny, but she was steadily gaining weight and starting to plump up a bit. Green was starting to creep into newborn blue eyes, but it was still too soon to know which way her eye color would land. The wisps of blondish red hair she'd been born with appeared to be turning more red than blonde, and it was starting to thicken. Peggy had a feeling that by the time Natasha was three months she would have a head full of beautiful wavy red hair.

So often these days Peggy could be found sitting with her new baby in her arms just starting down at Natasha, memorizing every inch of her from her round rosy cheeks, the slope of her tiny nose, the curve of her ears, her delicate little fingers and teeny tiny pain in the ass to trim fingernails, to her little knees and tiny toes that she flexed every time she felt air on her bare little feet. Peggy was amazed at how each day seemed to come with a little change to the fullness of Natasha's little thighs or expressiveness of her adorable little eyebrows. Peggy hadn't been quite so enthralled by someone since being given the gift of having unfettered access to Angie.

Natasha had decided to be in a bit of a mood today, one her new mothers couldn't quite work out. She didn't seem to be ill, she was dry, had a belly full of warm formula, but for whatever reason she simply did not want to be put down. As long as she was nestled in one of her mothers' arms she was perfectly content, if they dared to put her in her cot or took too long changing her diaper she wailed like a bloody banshee. They didn't even need to pay her much attention, just hold her in their arms as they went about whatever it was they needed to do. At the moment though, Peggy was totally and completely focused on the baby in her arms, and was softly singing to her. Peggy didn't really know any lullabies, she knew pub songs from her days with the 107th, and a few old folk songs her father used to sing to her. Which is why she was singing the Derby Ram because she figured it was more about how she sang than what she was singing.

"And indeed, my lass, it's true, my lass, I never was known to lie, and if you'd been down in Derby, you'd seen him the same as I." Peggy sang with a warm smile as she traced her daughter's cheek, down to her chin. She was just about to sing about the size of the ram's tail when a solid knock on the front door stopped her short. Raising an eyebrow as she stood, she made her way to the window to steal a peek at who was standing outside her door. Once she knew whoever it was wasn't a threat she went to answer the door. "Nicholas?"

The tall, broad shouldered, dark skinned man had enough sense to look a bit sheepish as he stood on the Director's stoop. He was dressed in a dark suit, his tie slightly undone and askew. His eyes, which were darker than Peggy's, betrayed the confidence he was trying to project with an expression of discomfort and apology. "Sorry to just drop in on you while you're on leave, Ma'am."

Peggy sighed. "Well, just don't stand there, Nicolas, come in."

Nicholas J Fury Jr. had grown up hearing war stories from his father about the men and one particular woman he'd crossed paths with back in the war. Sergeant Nick Fury had made the Howling Commands, Captain America, and Agent Peggy Carter larger than life in his son's mind. When Fury found himself face to face with Peggy Carter for the first time, fresh out of the V.A. hospital and newly discharged from the Army with the rank of colonel, he had not been disappointed. She'd been damn near everything he'd thought she would be, and she'd been there to recruit him personally for SHIELD. Fury hadn't thought twice, and as soon as he'd been medically cleared he'd become an agent. He moved quickly up the ranks and now he served directly under Director Carter's command.

"Well?" Peggy asked as she glared up at the young man she'd taken on as a protege. "What is it?"

Fury had seen the Director dominate in a fire fight, take out a Russian spy with a tea kettle, and made republicans cry to their mamas. She was the baddest bitch he had ever met, and he respected the fuck out of her. But the baby thing had knocked him for a loop, and standing there in her home looking at her with it in her arms, it was just unsettling.

"Agent Fury." Peggy said softly because Natasha was in her arms but still razor sharp enough to make the man jump.

"You have the information dump from Agents Coulson and May." Fury told her as he tried to keep his gaze on her and not it, the squirmy little pink thing in her arms.

Peggy nodded. "I've been reviewing it. I think I might finally be impressed with your find, Nicolas. It seems Coulson does have potential. Lets keep him partnered with May and see if she can't turn him into something we can work with."

Fury nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

"I suppose you're not here for my option on your recruit but for the information?" Peggy asked as she shifted Natasha to her other arm. She thought she'd seen Fury looking oddly at the baby but wasn't sure until now. "Problem Agent Fury?"

"No Ma'am." Fury shakes his head. "It's fine, ain't bothering me."

"She's a she Nicolas not an it." Peggy scolded before softening her tone. "You've not met her yet have you? Well, Nicolas Fury, meet Natasha Carter."

"It's, uh, she's cute, Ma'am." Fury says, trying not to crinkle his brow. "The information Ma'am and I'll get outta ya hair."

Peggy sighs and shakes her head. "Oh Nicolas, really, it's a baby not a toxic creature from space. I worry about you, my boy. There is life outside of service you know." She steps closer to him as she continues speaking. "The information is secure in my study. Here, be a dear and hold her while I fetch it. She's in a bit of a mood today, doesn't want to be put down, and Angie's out picking up nappies and formula."

Fury tried to protest, to refuse, but before he could even form the words, oh hell no, the tiny thing wrapped in a pink blanket was in his arms and he had no idea what to do. He stood as still as a stone statue as Peggy grinned at him and then walked off down the long hallway towards her study. He continued to stare after Peggy until it, err, she, the baby, made a noise and he tried not to panic. He looked down and was startled to see it, err, her, the baby, looking up at him with bright if not focused blueish eyes. "Don't do anything gross on me, kid." The baby, Natasha, blinked up at him. "You're kinda a tiny one aren't you? I got shoes bigger than you, kid." He watched as Natasha managed to free an arm from her blanket and was floored by how tiny her hand was. Without really thinking about it he raised his free hand and offered up his finger. She wrapped her hand around his pinkie, and it was almost comical to see, her teeny little pale fingers wrapped around the tip of the smallest of his and it was still too big to wrap completely around.

Peggy watched from the shadows with a warm smile. Years from now, she would pinpoint this very moment as the moment Natasha wrapped Nick Fury around her little finger. Stepping out of the hallway she walked towards the man holding her daughter and offered a large accordion folder in exchange for the baby. "Will that be all, Agent Fury?"

Fury nodded as he watched Peggy settle the baby back into the crook of her arm. "Yes Ma'am."

"Still think I've made a mistake, Nicolas?" Peggy asked as he turned to leave. "I know my choice to keep Natasha and raise her as my own disappointed you."

Fury paused, hand on the doorknob and sighed. "Just worried about your priorities is all, Ma'am."

"If anything having a child has reinforced my priorities, Nicolas." Peggy told him. "I'm more determined than ever to safeguard the world we live in because my daughter now lives in it too."

Fury turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Our work ain't always safe."

"No, it isn't, but I will do everything in my power to keep my family safe." Peggy agreed. "And if, God forbid, something happens to me, Natasha will still have Angie. This world is full of uncertainty and fear, Nicolas, and I refuse to give into it. It's all a matter of finding a balance. Something I suggest you try and find yourself, my boy. You might be surprised at how much more rewarding protecting and saving the world can be when you have someone in it worth fighting for."

Nick Fury was one of the few people who knew where Director Carter lived, and one of even the fewer who were allowed to come to her home. Her personal secretary, and secret back up, Rose who'd been with Peggy since her SSR days was allowed, the two socialized often outside of work, but other then the two of them anyone else would probably be shot on sight, or at least more realistically be transferred someplace really unpleasant. Which is why Fury was allowed to accompany the Director home so they could continue talking about everything he'd just gone through over the last few days. Truthfully, he was having trouble wrapping his head around it all, and talking to the Director helped him keep himself from going to some really dark places. She was good at talking down his fears, and what was more fear inducing than finding out about aliens, and enhanced humans who can do the kind of shit he'd just seen a long lost, thought dead, air force pilot do?

"I think your idea has merit, Nicholas." Peggy said as she led the man through her front door and into the foyer of her home. "Start working on a proper proposal for this initiative of yours and we'll discuss it again."

"You don't think I'm overreacting?" Fury asked her as he watched her take off her jacket and hang it in the hall closet.

"After what you told me, no, this time I don't think you're overreacting." Peggy answered. She was about to say something else but was cut off by a sound that made her light up and smile.

"Mummy's home!" Four year old Natasha Carter squealed when she heard the front door, followed by the sound of her mother's voice. Jumping up from where she'd been kneeling at the coffee table with the full and proper little tea set she'd gotten for her birthday, Natasha dashed for the foyer with another happily squealed, "Mummy's home!"

Peggy crouched down as her little girl, in her OshKosh overall shorts with the pretty pink flowers on them, and light pink t-shirt, came charging at her. Opening her arms Peggy scooped the girl up as soon as Natasha's arms were around her neck, and then stood up with ease as Natasha wrapped her legs around her waist. "Hello poppet."

Natasha nuzzled into her mother's neck and took a deep breath before sighing softly. "Hi Mummy. I missed you."

Peggy hummed softly as she hugged her little girl. "I missed you too, poppet."

Angie soon appeared in the doorway of the living room with a warm, happy smile, ready to welcome her wife home from work as well, but her warm and happy smile faulted when she saw Peggy wasn't alone. It wasn't that Angie disliked Fury or anything, she just didn't like when Peggy's work followed her home. "Hello Agent Fury."

"Evening Mrs. Carter." Fury replied with a nod towards his commander's wife.

Hearing Fury's voice had Natasha lifting her head from her mother's neck and leaning back a bit to see the man over her mother's shoulder. She smiled a huge smile and was about to say hello to him when she saw the huge white bandage over his eye. Natasha's little eyes went wide and she gasped softly, not in fear but surprise and concern. "Mummy!" Natasha said, her tone of voice almost scolding. "You let Agent Nicky get a ouchie!"

Peggy called Fury by his full first name, not even his own mother called him by his first full name. Angie called Fury Agent Fury or just Fury. Somehow hearing her mothers different monikers for him had translated into Agent Nicky in Natasha's toddler brain and it had stuck for now. Setting Natasha on her hip, rather then the girl koala clinging to the front of her, Peggy turned to look at Fury as she huffed indignantly. "I did no such thing." With her free hand she waved in the direction of Fury's bandaged eye. "Agent Fury managed to do that all on his own."

"It's alright, kid." Fury said to the little girl, her concern making him a little uncomfortable. He was supposed to be a big bad badass to be feared, but Natasha smiled at him and looked up at him like he was some kind of freaking teddy bear. "It's just a scratch."

Peggy snorted. Just a scratch that nearly took his whole damn eye, still might if the infection gets worse.

"Will you be staying for dinner, Fury?" Angie asked from where she was leaning against the living room door frame.

"Thank you, Mrs. Carter, but no." Fury replied. "I need to be getting back to the office."

Peggy nods. "I'll go get those evaluations. I've read them over and made some notes that you need to read over." Kissing Natasha on the cheek, she set the girl on her feet. "Nattie, will you keep Agent Fury company for Mummy while I fetch something from my study?"

"Sure Mummy!" Natasha replies easily as she walks over to the towering man and takes his much larger hand into her own and pulls him gently towards the living room. "Come on, Agent Nicky."

Fury looked a little uncomfortable but not as much as he used to. He was pulled over the sofa, and after she let go of his hand Natasha put her little hands just above his knees and pushed as she 'offered' him a seat. She really was a tiny little thing, he'd had bigger pieces of lint on his pants compared to her little hands.

"Mama and I went to the park today." Natasha said as she lifted up her knee to show Fury the Mickey and Minnie bandages there. "I felled down and scraped my knee. I bleeded and everything!" Then she turned towards the coffee table and picked up the largest of little plates in her tea set which had several round shortbread sandwich cookies with open hearts cut out of the top that showed the red jelly and cream filling. "These are my feel better biscuits. I loves them a lots. They're extra special cause Gran and Grandad send them in the mail all the way from England. Mummy's from England, Agent Nicky, it's on the other side of the big pond." The tiny redhead held up the plate and smiled brightly at Fury. "Have a feel better biscuit, Agent Nicky." She said and then thought maybe she could add, "Please?"

"Um," Fury replied, squirming a little. Natasha's smile and those eyes, how did anyone tell this kid no? Reaching out he took one of the cookies and smiled. "Thanks kid."

Natasha beamed. She set the plate back on the table, then made sure Mama wasn't watching, and picked up another cookie and put it in the pocket of Fury's suit jacket. Then she gave him a mischievous smile and gently patted the front pocket of her own overalls and whispered, "For later."

Fury chuckled. "I like the way you think, kid."

Nicolas Fury had tea with four year old Natasha Carter and it would be something Peggy Carter remembered for the rest of her days. Especially the part where Natasha shared her precious Jammy Dodgers because Natasha was willing to share anything with anyone but she had to really like you to share a feel better biscuit with you.

The clock on the mantel ticked softly as morning turned to early afternoon. Peggy lounged at the end of the living room sofa with her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose, a fresh cup of tea within easy reach, a new book in hand, and her beloved Angie little spooning against her chest as she sewed a Mini Howler patch onto Natasha's newest jacket.

"Do you think she'll be up for the Howlie cookout this year, Peg?" Angie asked as she held the jacket out to make sure she was putting the thing on right.

"I hope so." Peggy replied with a sigh. "I really don't like how down she's been lately."

"Her dog died, Peg." Angie replied. "She's gonna be sad for awhile."

"I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound as if I were trivializing that." Peggy replied. "I'm just worried it might be more than that."

"Pop died last year." Angie said, and as soon as she did she felt Peggy wrap her arms around her and hold her tight. "Year before that it was Howard and Maria, before that it was Michael." She ran her hand over Peggy's thigh when she mentioned her brothers. "The kid's lost a helluva lot, Pegs. Poor girl's probably scared to death over whose next."

The thought had crossed Peggy's mind a time or two, so surely it must have crossed Natasha's as well. Especially after Jarvis' recent heart attack. Thank god he's recovering, Peggy wasn't sure she could handle losing Jarvis, so she knew her daughter would be devastated. "We should make plans soon to holiday with Edwin and Ana."

"See," Angie pointed out. "She isn't the only one stewin' over things."

Before Peggy could try and lie to her wife and say she was fine, which she knew Angie wouldn't believe anyway, there was a knock on the door.

Angie groaned. "But I'm comfortable, you're soft and cozy English, I don't wanna move."

"I wouldn't be quite so soft if you'd stopped feeding me so much." Peggy teased as she tickled her wife to make her move.

Angie relented and shifted off Peggy so the other woman could answer the door. "You were curvy in all the right places before I started feedin' ya, English." She hummed approvingly as she let her gaze roam over Peggy as the slightly older woman moved across the room. "You still fill out a pair of slacks just right, not to mention just the right amount of stress on those blouse buttons."

"Angie." Peggy laughed as a light blush pinkened her cheeks as she rolled her eyes. Peeking out the side window once she'd reached the door Peggy was startled to see Fury standing there. Pulling open the door she frowned a bit. "Nicolas? What's happened?"

"Nothing Ma'am." Fury replied as he carefully adjusted the strap of what appeared at first glance to be a duffle bag on his shoulder. "I'm not actually here to see you."

Peggy blinked as she stepped aside and invited him into her home. "Then who are you here to see?"

"Nat, if it's alright with you." Fury replied.

"Go on through the living room." Peggy told him while moving to the bottom of the stairs herself. She had no idea why Fury would want to see Natasha, but she trusted him so she called up the stairs. "Nattie, darling, would you come down here please?"

A few moments later Natasha appeared at the top of the stairs in a pair of ripped faded jeans and an oversized band shirt that was actually Tony's, which she had over a black tank stop. Her long red hair, which she'd put blonde streaks in despite her mothers having said she couldn't, was pulled back and held up messily with a claw clip. Each earlobe now had a second earring in them, as did top of her left ear, again despite having been told no by her mothers. Tony was no match for her pout and fluttery lash puppy eyes, she almost had him talked into letting her get a tattoo. "What?"

"Don't what me young lady." Peggy scolded. "Come down here please. You have a guest."

"I do?" Natasha blinked as she padded down the stairs in her bare feet. When she walked into the living room at her mother's side, she blinked again. "Um, Mum, that's just Nick."

"Nice to see you too kid." Fury huffed at the girl.

Natasha blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

Fury waved off the apology as he said, "I need a favor, kid."

"A favor?" Natasha replied, her gaze darting between him and her mother who still stood beside her. Peggy shrugged. She looked back at Fury. "From me?"

Fury nodded. "My building just got sold and the new owners have a strict no pets policy. I was hoping that, if it's alright with your moms of course, that you might be able give this guy a place to stay."

Natasha watched as Fury unzipped a pet carrier which she'd thought was just a duffle bag on the coffee table when she walked in. A moment later the head of a pretty orange tabby cat popped out of the top of the bag.

"Nicolas," Peggy said in surprise. "Is that…"

"My cat," Fury said even though he knew Peggy knew Goose was more than a cat. "Yeah. Nat, this here is Agent Goose."

"Um, hi?" Natasha replied as she stared at the animal. She watched as the cat lept from it's carrier and onto the coffee table. She waited for one of her mothers to say something about the cat sitting on the table but neither said a word.

"He's a pretty one." Angie said from the sofa as she reached out towards the cat.

Peggy held her breath, unsure if she should stop Angie, but all the creature did was sniff her fingers and then butt it's head into the palm of Angie's hand.

"I know he'd have a really good home here with you and your moms, Nat." Fury said as he watched the girl stare uncerintaly at Goose. "I'd feel better about having to give him up knowing he's with you."

Natasha wasn't sure what to say. She was still getting over losing Rosie, and she really didn't want to get hurt anymore.

"Why don't we just try it out, angel?" Angie asked as she watched the conflict and pain in her little girl's eyes.

Goose lept gracefully from the coffee table and over to Natasha. He sat down near her feet and looked up at her. His ears twitched, his tail flicked, and then he lept upwards. Natasha squeaked in surprise, and just managed to open her arms to catch him. As she held him he butted his head into her chin, and then knocked his little head into her cheek. Her hand went to his head and she started to rub his ears. Goose began to purr and laid his head on Natasha's shoulder.

For the first time in weeks Peggy watched a small but genuine smile slowly appear on her heartbroken little girl's lips, and a small part of the concern she had earlier melted away. Turning to look at Angie she could tell that Angie had seen the change in Natasha as well so she asked, "What do you think, darling?"

"Aw, Peg, you know I've always been a cat person." Angie replied with a warm smile.

"Then it's alright with us, poppet." Peggy said as she reached up to put her hand on her daughter's back. "If you want to do this favor for Nicolas, then we'll keep Goose."

Natasha bit her lip. Goose nuzzled her neck and purred. Natasha smiled again. "Yeah, sure, I'm cool with it."

"Thanks kid." Fury said with a small smile of his own. "I'll go grab his stuff and we'll talk about his picky ass."

Peggy followed Nicolas to the door and once out on the porch she said, "I'm not sure if I'm more grateful for this little stunt or pissed, Nicolas."

"Goose is perfectly safe, Ma'am." Fury reassured her. "He ain't gonna hurt nobody, hell, he'll protect her."

"How can you be so sure?" Peggy asked.

Fury smiled. "Because when I told him you were worried about your kid he jumped in the damn carrier himself. I think he wants to be useful to someone again."

Peggy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll need a complete debrief on keeping an alien cat in my bloody house."

"I have his file." Fury smirked.

Fury had a reputation for being stone cold, but Peggy knew the truth, and she would always remember and cherish the fact that he had given up his long time companion to help mend her daughter's broken heart.

The fall air was crisp as Natasha stepped out of the front door of her school at the end of a boring day. The cool breeze felt good blowing across her skin as she made her way down the steps after being cooped up all day. Seniors had a half day, but that half day had been spent clustered in the gym and auditorium with the rest of her senior class being herded from table to table as broken, sad looking adults hocked their schools or employers like a carny trying to lure people into a sideshow at the circus. It was a waste of time in Natasha's option, recruitment day, most of her peers not only knew what their plans were for after graduation, a lot of them had already applied and been accepted. Natasha was one of those students, she already knew what she wanted to do. Didn't she?

As she began the walk home Natasha noticed a tall figure leaning against a black SUV as she crossed the street at the corner and her heart cesed up in her chest. Rushing over to him, a knot forming in her stomach because there was no good reason for him to be at her school, Natasha demanded. "What's happened? Is my Mum ok?"

Fury relaxed, unfolding his arms and standing up straighter. Damn, Hill had been right. Seeing him unexpectedly like this was freaking the kid out. "She's fine, Nat. She's in Geneva," He checked his watch. "Probably wishing the day would end so she could get away from the boring ass politicians she'd meeting with."

Natasha sighed in relief and then tried to force herself to relax. "Then why are you here?"

"It's recruitment day isn't it?" Fury said with a smirk. "Got a school full of people trying to get your elite asses to go to their schools or work for their companies after you finish college? CIA, FBI, Homeland Security, all the branches of the military got people in there profiling potential agents and officers. So am I."

That made Natasha raise an inquisitive brow in a very Peggy-like way. "I didn't see you inside."

"That's because I'm not here for any of those punks and preps." Fury replied. "I'm here for one very specific student."

"Me?" Natasha replied, her curiosity peaked.

Fury nodded. "Wanna take a ride? I got something to show you."

Natasha shrugged. "Sure, I don't have anything better to do."

As far as Natasha knew her mother was the director of a collaborative international agency that worked with the collaborative countries and their various intelligence agencies. It wasn't a lie, lies were hard to maintain long term, but Natasha didn't know the finer details and extent of what her mother's agency did. She was aware of the fundamentals of SHIELD, what they stood for, but not what they actually did or that it was called SHIELD. As she got older Natasha started to think there was more to her mother's work than Peggy let on, but she also knew her mother wouldn't be open to telling her what that was. She knew that Fury worked for her mother, worked with her, closely. He was her right hand.

"So after you get your fancy ivy league degree in forgian languages and you get back from Cambridge with your even fancier degree in linguistics, what do you plan on doing with all that skill?" Fury asks as he drives. "Sit behind a desk with a little microphone and a headset and translate other people's words and ideas? Maybe work international relations for that playboy cousin of yours?"

Natasha shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. I just know that I'm going to either Harvard or Cornell for my undergrad and then Cambridge after."

"Don't get me wrong, kid." Fury glanced over at her. "That's a great start and you've worked your ass off to get to a place where you can do that. Your moms are hella proud of you."

That sent a wash of warmth through Natasha and she smiled a bit. She knew her mothers were proud of her, they told her so, but there was just something so reaffirming to hear someone else say it, someone who was both close to the family and yet an outsider. "But?"

"No buts." Fury replied. "Just a, what if. What if I could show you a way to use all of that education and intelligence, as well as your other skills."

Natasha blinked in confusion as she turned to look at his profile. She had the sense that something big and important was about to happen, but she didn't have the faintest idea what that could be. "What other skills?"

"You are a champion gymnast, you were offered a chance to apply to the American School of Ballet, you could go to freaking Juilliard to study dance if you wanted to, you have black belts in several different martial arts." Fury listed off. "And you're a hell of a marksman."

That startled Natasha, her blue-green eyes going wide and her yawn dropping a bit. No one, not even her Mama, especially not her Mama, knew that her Mum had been teaching her marksmanship for years. "Those are just things I do for fun and to spend time with my Mum."

"They're hard learned and refined skills that you can put to good use." Fury argued.

"How?" Natasha narrowed her eyes at him.

Fury smiled as he turned to look Natasha in the eye. "By coming to work for us."

"Us who?" Natasha asked next. "You and my Mum? I guess the languages and linguistics could come in handy, but how would any of that other stuff be helpful to what my Mum does?"

"Nat, you're everything we look for in an agent for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division." Fury told her as he began crossing a bridge over the Potomac to an island with one sole building at its center.

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division?" Natasha replied as she stared at Fury. "Is that the name of the agency you and Mum work for?" Turning her head to look out the windshield Natasha saw the looming building set on an island ahead of them and frowned. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. SHIELD. Natasha blinked. "Does this have something to do with my Uncle Howard? I mean, SHIELD, it sounds like something he'd do given his debilitating obsession with Captain America."

Fury was smiling bigger than Natasha had even seen him as she worked it out for herself. Turning to look at the girl Fury said, "Kid, I work for SHIELD, Stark had a hand in creating SHIELD, but your mother, fuck kid, Peggy Carter is SHIELD."

Natasha got a history lesson on SHIELD as she and Fury went into what he called the Triskelion, SHIELD's primary headquarters. Natasha knew her mother had been a soldier during the war, that she had been and had led the Howling Commandos. She hadn't known that she'd been an agent for an allied war department called the SSR. Or that after the war, when the SSR was dismantled, Howard Stark, Margaret Carter, and Chester Phillips created SHIELD to continue protecting the world against the extraordinary threats they'd discovered during their time with the SRR. Extraordinary threats. Suddenly Natasha found herself wondering how many of her mother's war scars were from the war, and how many were from this? The more Fury talking the more Natasha felt overwhelmed and conflicted. This was all incredible, and her mother had created it, the pride Natasha felt was staggering. But then, a lie of omission is still a lie, her mothers had said, and here she was finding out that her Mum had omitted a hell of a lot from her. Did she truly know her mother as well as she thought?

"I've watched you grow up, Nat." Fury said after he showed her around. "Your first instinct is to help, to protect, and to defend. Those are the very things SHIELD was founded to do. SHIELD will give you the opportunity to hone all of your skill sets in a way that will give you a true sense of purpose, that I really don't think you'll find anywhere else."

Natasha looked away from the bustle of people below them as they went about their daily business of protecting the world. "What makes you so sure I'll find my sense of purpose here?"

Fury smiled. "Because I can see how badly you want to ask more questions about what goes on here, you what to examine every detail to see if you can find a place for yourself. You're excited by the idea, but also leery of it. Because you're so much like her I don't think you'd be happy or fulfilled anywhere else."

"Is she why I'm here, Nick?" Natasha asked bluntly. "Am I here because she's my mother?"

"No." Fury answered honestly. "She has no clue you're here or that I'm talking to you about this. You're not supposed to know SHIELD even exists. But I have an eye for talent, Nat. I know incredible potencial when I see it, and it just rolls off you in waves."

"If I'm not supposed to know about any of this, she'll never agree to it." Natasha points out the flaw in his plan to turn her into a secret agent. "So what's the point of risking your own neck to tell me about it?"

"Like I said, you have potential, and I ain't blinded by any parental need to protect you from the big bad world." Fury says honestly. "Now don't get me wrong, kid. I like you, and I don't want to see you get hurt or shit, but I ain't about to waste a good resource or outstanding asset because of some sense of senitmautaly."

Natasha raised a brow at that. "Sounds like you already got a game plan in mind to get around the fact that my mother isn't about to let me join her secret little spy agency."

"We enroll you in the Operations Academy under an alias." Fury said without hesitation. "You began training one on one with me and people I trust completely, which is like two maybe three people tops. If you decide to stick to this, then we tell her."

"So you want me to lie to my mother?" Natasha looked amused and uncertain about this whole thing. Even the mere thought of lying to her mother was creating a painful knot to form in her stomach. "The woman you just told me was a badass super spy who runs a whole damn company of badass spies?"

"I know it's askin' a hell of a lot, Nat." Fury nods. "But if this is what you want, then yeah, it's the only way to go for now."

"And if it's not what I want?" Natasha asked.

"Then you walk away with a better understanding of the woman you look up to." Fury replies simply.

"I need to think about this, Nick." Natasha tells him honestly. "It's a lot to take in."

Fury nods his understanding and signals someone to come closer. It's the woman he'd introduced Natasha to when they first arrived, a dark haired woman named Hill, who had given him a special badge for Natasha to wear. It not only marked her as a guest but disguised her from the security feeds, just in case there was ever a reason for the Director to check the video. "Mrs. Carter has never seen Agent Hill so she'll be taking you home. If you decide you want to know more, if you think you might want to do this, she'll be one of the people you'll shadow and train with."

"You're taking a hell of risk on this, Nick." Natasha tells the man. "If she finds out about this…"

"The old lady'll kill me, bring me back, and kill me again." Fury laughed. "Yeah, I know what I'm doing."

Natasha couldn't help but look at him in awe. "You're really that sure about me?"

"I am dead fucking sure about you." Fury tells her in reply.

Hill doesn't say much as she drives Natasha home but she does slip her a piece of paper before she gets out of the car. It's just a simple phone number written in pencil on the torn off corner of a sheet of notebook paper, nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl to have in her pocket. "When you've made up your mind call that number."

"So you don't think this is crazy?" Natasha asked the woman, needing to get someone else's option.

"I trust Fury." Hill replies. "And so does the Director."

"Thanks." Natasha said as she moved to get out of the car.

Natasha does her best to keep her Ma from realizing that she has something on her mind, and manages to make it through the evening without any probing questions. They have dinner and instead of watching a movie together Natasha asks if they can listen to their radio show. Angie agrees happily, and Natasha spends an hour with her head in her Mama's lap, listening to the silly portrayal of her mother with the new knowledge that Peggy Carter was a badass special super agent. Then she makes herself a cup of tea and heads up to her room to work on homework until her Mum calls. Natasha bites her lip for a moment, a little hesitant in accepting the video chat call that pops up on her laptop screen. Sometimes she can get away with hiding things from her Mama, but rarely can she do so with her Mum. But she misses her and wants to hear her mother's voice, needs to see her smile, so she clicks accept and watches the widow expand to reveal her Mum's smiling face.

"Hi poppet, how was your day my darling?" Peggy asks warmly as her smile brightens at the sight of her daughter.

"Dull." Natasha replies. "Recruitment fair was this morning. I talked to the reps from Harvard and Cornell, and then I was bored out of my mind the rest of the day. How was yours?"

"Not nearly as exciting as yours." Peggy said with a chuckle. "I've had more stimulating conversations with your cat."

Natasha laughed as she reached down to pet said cat who was curled up in her lap. "Yeah, well, Goosey has very enlightening options on the state of current affairs."

Peggy watched her daughter for a long moment before asking, "Nattie, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Mum, I'm fine." Natasha replied. "I guess I just had too much time to think about what happens after university is all. Forget five year plans, some of my classmates have freaking twenty-five year plans. I can't even decide if I'm going to homecoming this year after what happened last year, let alone decide what I'm going to do after I finish college."

"There's no rush for you to plan that far ahead, darling." Peggy said gently. "You're young, you have plenty of time to discover what's going to give you the kind of purpose that will allow you to live your best life." She smiled reassuringly. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself, my love."

"How will I know, Mum?" Natasha asks softly. "How will I know if I've found my purpose?"

"I wish I could explain it to you, poppet." Peggy replies. "But I'm honestly not sure how other than to say you'll just feel it. You'll just have this sense of things feeling right, like you've found solid ground on which to travel no matter how winding and twisted the road ahead of you gets."

Natasha chewed her lip for a few moments before asking, "And what if it's something you and Mama won't like?"

"Natasha, unless you decide you're going into a life of crime, your mother and I will support whatever you choose to do." Peggy reassured.

"Even if it's like the military or law enforcement or something like that?" Natasha threw out.

"Yes, even then." Peggy nodded. "We are going to be incredibly proud of whatever path you choose, except for the aforementioned life of crime."

Natasha laughed. "I'd make a lousy criminal. I couldn't even nick a candy bar without becoming overcome with guilt."

They talked a little while longer before saying goodnight and ending the call. Natasha still didn't know what to do about Fury's offer. She wished she could talk to her mothers in more detail, to really get their honest opinion about it, but Natasha knew better. Peggy could say she and Angie would be alright with Natasha doing dangerous things like the military or law enforcement because she'd never shown an interest in those fields before. She knew they'd feel differently if they knew it was an actual option. She was going to need more time to think about this.

She and the enemy agent had been after the same intel. Neither looked as if they were armed at first, but of course they both were. After pulling primary weapons on each other, they disarmed each other quickly, fighting hand to hand until Natasha laid claim to the drive she was after. Her opponent still wasn't as unarmed as Natasha had thought. She saw the light reflect off the blade just before it sank deep into the upper quadrant of her abdomen on the right side, nicking her liver and causing a great deal of blood loss. Natasha wasn't as unarmed as her opponent thought, and in one seamless fluid motion she draws the pistol from her thigh holster, aims a shot, and shoots the enemy agent. With the intel in hand she manages to clear the site, but barely.

Fury watched as Natasha approached the extraction site with pride. Then he watches in horror as the girl collapses. Bursting out of the van he runs towards her, "Agent Romanoff?" He calls out but gets no response. When he reaches her he drops to his knees beside her and starts looking her over. "Agent Romanoff, what happened?" She moans softly, her right hand going to the knife wound in her abdomen while the left passes him the drive he sent her in there for. Fury pockets the drive and then very carefully and with years of experience picks the girl up and carries her back to the van. "Hill, get us to medical site delta two, asap!"

Natasha watches blurrily as Fury rips into a medical kit and pulls out a packet of stop bleed powder which he rips open and dumps around her wound. "Fucking son of a bloody bitch."

"Yeah, hurts extra cause the knife's still in there, but we can't risk pulling it out." Fury replies. "Hold tight, kid. We're almost there. Who got ya, Nat?"

"Female, late teens-early twenties, blonde hair, green eyes." Natasha moaned. "I don't feel so good."

"Blood loss." Fury tells her. "Stay with me, kid."

She can feel his hand envelop hers and squeeze. She's in and out after that. She thinks she feels him carrying her again, calling out orders, and then he lays her on a gurney. The next time she's somewhat aware of herself and her surroundings Fury is in a chair beside her bed, her hand held in his again, and then she's out again. She's a little more alert when she comes around the second time after surgery. This time he's standing by the window on the phone. She can just make out the words, liver, infection, and ma'am. Shit. He was talking to her mother who was going to be royally fucking pissed. The third time she comes around she's nearly fully awake and tries to smile when she catches him once again sitting beside her bed.

"Still have both eyes." She croaks out. "The old lady not here yet?"

Fury chuckles. "She's on her way. The intel was good, Nat. You just saved the lives of a hell of a lot of undercover agents." He smiled proudly at her. "Good job, Agent Carter."

They must have been alone for him to use her real name. It makes her smile, her chest swelling with warmth and pride. Someday, someday she would lay claim to that name, but she had to feel worthy of it first. "The real Agent Carter's gonna fucking kill you."

"Na, she won't." Fury replies, brushing hair from Natasha's forehead. "She's gonna make my life a living fucking hell, but she's been doing that since she found out about you." He smirked at her then. "Besides, I'm not the one who should be worried about their SO. You managed to get stabbed in the gut. May's gonna be hot as hell when she finds out you let that happen."

Natasha moaned. "I didn't let anything happen."

Fury chuckled, "Still, May's gonna ride your ass for months after this." His phone digged with a message and after checking it he stood. "Director's here. I'm going to go get her. Look kid, when you're all healed up and able to we'll go get a drink and toast to your first battle wound. Just don't try to drink May under the table and end up shit faced the way Hill did."

Natasha snorted which caused her pain and she moaned. "Yes Sir, Agent Nicky."

Fury laughed. "They got you on the good fucking shit kid, stop fighting it and go back to sleep. I'm gonna go get ripped a new one by the old lady and then bring her up to you."

"M'kay." Natasha gave him a little wave and then gave in to the drugs. Very few people got to see the human side of Nick Fury, and even fewer got to see the softer side. Natasha was lucky, and she knew it.

Fury had his favorites, and everyone knew it, Hill, Coulson, May, Barton, Morse, but Natasha was more than just a favorite. He had plans for Natasha Carter, special plans that would make her far more than just an agent of SHIELD. She was gonna be a goddamn super hero. He just had to live past the wrath of Peggy Carter to see it through first.


	18. Chapter 18

Heartbreak

Natasha's first 'boyfriend' was Bobby Davis during the summer between sixth grade and seventh. The entire relationship consisted of hanging out together within their group of combined friends, and stealing awkward and sloppy kisses with some mild awkward and sloppy groping behind the concession stand at the pool. Her first official solo date was in ninth grade. She and Miles Rosenberg went to a matinee movie and then had dinner at McDonald's and ice cream at Dairy Queen. Near the end of tenth grade Natasha kissed her first girl, Ivonna Kelly, the daughter of Natasha's Russian ballet teacher who owned the international dance school with her Irish husband that Natasha had attended since moving to D.C.. When things ended with Miles and Ivonna it stung. There was sadness and tears, and pie with her Ma, and cuddles with words of advice from her Mum.

Declan Beck was different than the childish romances and crushes that had happened before. For starters he was a college sophomore, while Natasha had just started her junior year of high school. They'd met while Natasha was taking a six week Latin class on campus during the summer, and while Natasha had been crushing on a cute blonde from London, she'd been charmed by the college boy who showed interest in getting to know her. He'd asked her for coffee after class, and Natasha had actually blushed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. Declan was tall, athletic looking but not a jock. His hair was a dark rich brown, shaved close on the sides so it ran seamlessly into his facial hair, but longish on top and swept back and off to the side. His eyes were the grey of winter skies. He was charming, funny, and he made Natasha feel more grown up then she was.

Coffee after class turned into meeting at a museum, grabbing a bite to eat on a Saturday afternoon after Natasha's dance class, or goofing off in the park. The first time they called it a date they'd gone to see a baseball game on a Saturday afternoon. The first time Peggy and Angie meet him, Declan is taking Natasha to a concert. He's polite and charming and says all the right things. As they're leaving, walking down the steps and down the path to his waiting car, Peggy reminds her daughter of her curfew much to Natasha's embarrassment. When Peggy closes the door of their home after they've driven off she looks at her wife and growls, "I don't like him."

"What's to like?" Angie agrees. "He's a college guy dating our teenage daughter, but you know if we try to force her into not seeing him it will backfire on us. We just have to bite our tongues for now, Peggy, and trust Nattie. Unless he does something really stupid and hurts her, then you can kick his ass and we'll get Fury to hide the body."

Declan gets Natasha a fake i.d. and takes her to the bars around campus. She knows better than to get drunk, she watches each drink as it's made and she always keeps her drink in her own hand. She knows her mothers don't approve, they think he's too old for her, but four years doesn't seem like a lot to her. Peggy tries to explain that at her age, four years might as well be a decade, but Natasha just rolls her eyes.

"You're overreacting, Mum!" Natasha shouts after hearing her mother's protests about going out with Declan again. "He's not like other guys!"

"I don't like him, Natasha." Peggy says firmly as she closes the distance between herself and her teenage daughter. Once she's in Natasha's space she makes the girl look her in the eyes. "And if you continue to raise your voice to me young lady you will not be going out with anyone because you'll be grounded. Am I understood?"

Natasha has the nerve to stomp her foot as she throws up her hands and turns to walk away from her mother. Her mothers were being ridiculous, Natasha told herself. They didn't know Declan, they didn't know he was sweet and not like the pushy sex driven high school boys she went to school with. He liked her because he found her interesting, witty, smart, and pretty, not just because he wanted to have sex with her.

"Cancel your plans, angel." Angie says as she shakes her head at her daughter. "You're grounded."

"Ma!" Natasha whines as she whirls around to look at her mother, who'd been sitting on the sofa watching her and Peggy argue over Declan.

"You were warned about the attitude." Angie replies simply, her voice firm and leaving no room for further backtalk.

When Declan asks if he can take her to her homecoming dance Natasha's on cloud nine. Peggy and Angie are less so, and with good reasons that Natasha just couldn't or wouldn't see. The night isn't what Natasha was hoping for, the teenage rom-com ending she'd daydreamed about turned into a bad dream. They dance, and laugh, and Natasha's having a good time. Then Declan asks if she could use some air and she nods, the school's event room is large and spacious, but full of dancing hormonal teenagers, it's a bit warm, stuffy, and smells of pubescence. They walk through the courtyard to a bench under a tree away from the dance, and sit for a few minutes. Natasha looks up at the stars for a moment before she feels herself being pulled into a kiss.

They'd kissed plenty of times, and Natasha had even let Declan touch her breasts under her shirt but over her bra. She'd been fine with his grabbing her ass, and she wasn't opposed to a denim clan thigh between her legs as they made out. Even now, the brush of his fingers at the hem of her skirt was ok, but when she felt his hand inch past her knee she pushed him back a little, wanting to slow down.

He smiled, he nodded, and he reassured, "Of course, Tasha."

She smiled as she scratched at the hair at the nape of his neck with her manicured nails. A few minutes later they were kissing again, and Declan was leaning in to her more, pinning her to the bench a bit. Something pricked at Natasha's instincts, but it didn't alarm her just yet. Then she felt his hand on her knee again, felt it running up her thigh again, and she pulled out of the kiss again. "Declan."

He hummed, moving his kisses to her neck as his hand slipped to her inner thigh.

"Declan, stop." Natasha said firmly as she pushed on his shoulders.

"It's alright, Tasha." Declan's breath is hot against her neck. "You'll like this, I promise. It feels good."

Natasha freezes for a moment in fear and panic, her brain unable to compute what was happening at first. Then she feels a knuckle brush against the crotch of her panties and instinct meets years of martial arts training and she's grabbing his wrist, jerking his hand out from under dress, and pushing him away. She jumps to her feet, a swirl of emotions raging inside, the strongest of which are anger and fear. He tries to reach out to her, to grab her, and she flips him, breaking his wrist in the process.

"I can't fucking believe you!" She spats at him. "Arugh! Do you know how fucking annoying it is that my mother is right all the damn time?" She fighting off tears as she finishes with, "Stay the fuck away from me, Declan!"

She leaves him laying there, calls for a car from the service her mothers have added her too, and heads home. As the rush of adrenaline began to wane from her system Natasha began to tremble. Her mother had warned her about Declan and she hadn't listened. If she hadn't acted on instinct, hadn't let years of lessons take over, how would things have ended? As the fear starts to set in, her blue-green eyes begin to burn with tears as her throat tightens and her stomach knots. When the car pulls up into her driveway, Natasha hesitates on getting out. She can't face her mothers. She thinks they'll be angry, disappointed, but her heart tells her otherwise. Taking a deep breath Natasha gets out of the car and heads inside. It's not until she's closing the door behind her that she realizes her Mama's car isn't in the drive. She closes the door with a soft click and heads for the stairs. If she can make it to her room then she won't have to deal with it all, she can just hide for a bit, get herself together, but that isn't what she does.

After a few seconds of just standing at the bottom of the stairs she steps back and heads down the hall to her mother's study instead. She can't explain why she knows Peggy is inside, she just feels it. She needs her mothers, but she's afraid; of what she isn't sure. Natasha raises her hand to knock on her mother's door but she can't bring herself to do it. Moving to the side of the door she presses her back against the wall and slowly slides down it to the floor.

Peggy wasn't really concentrating on the busy work laid out in front of her on the desk. She was just trying to distract herself. Something felt uneasy in the pit of her stomach, something that had settled there not long after Natasha had left for the dance. She would have convinced herself she was overreacting but Angie felt it too. While Peggy was trying to use work to keep her mind off things, Angie had decided to go get ice cream despite the fact that they had some in the freezer.

That feeling in Peggy's gut surged up into her heart and she suddenly looked up. Pushing away from her desk she walked over to the door of her study and threw it open. Stepping out into the hall she was startled to find her daughter crumpled on the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. Peggy bypassed concern at the sight of her daughter and lept right to fear. "Natasha?"

Natasha looked up at her mother and said, "You were right Mum, about him, about everything, you were right."

Peggy dropped to her knees beside her daughter and pulled Natasha into her arms. She had questions, concerns, fears, but what was important in this very moment was Natasha. Holding her daughter in her arms Peggy could feel her trembling. She let her gaze roam over every inch of Natasha checking for injury or any other signs of mistreatment. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer and had to ask, "Baby, did he hurt you? Did he…"

"No." Natasha replied, gently shaking her head against her mother's shoulder. "No, I'm not hurt."

Peggy tightened her hold. She sighed, closed her eyes, kissed her baby's temple and pressed her forehead to the place she'd just kissed. "It's going to be alright, poppet. You're home, you're safe, and Mummy's got you." After several long minutes of kneeling on the floor holding her little girl, Peggy gently began to stand, lifting Natasha up to stand as well. She guided her daughter back down the hall and into the living, helping her to sit on the sofa. She sat beside her daughter and once again pulled her into her arms. "Can you tell me what happened, poppet?"

"I'm so stupid!" Natasha pushed back from her mother and shook her head. "You warned me, again and again, and I wouldn't listen. He was charming and sweet, and I fell for it!" She growled in anger at herself as she put her head in her hands. "So fucking stupid!"

Reaching over Peggy gently replaced Natasha's hands with her own, turning her daughter's face towards her and looked right into her little girl's eyes. "Natasha Elizabeth Carter, stop that right now. You are not stupid." She used her thumbs to whisk away her daughter's tears. "What you are my darling girl is young and inexperienced."

"But you're not." Natasha argued. "And you told me, over and over, and I didn't listen."

"My love," Peggy said gently as she pulled Natasha in and kissed her forehead. "You are also your mothers' daughter, which means you are also very stubborn. None of those things, however, make you stupid."

She waited a few moments, wanting to give Natasha as much reassurance as she could, but then Peggy needed to know what transpired so again she asked Natasha to tell her what happened, but before Natasha could say a word Angie came home. "They were outta the strawberry cheesecake you and Nattie like, English, but they had this new Earl Grey flavor I thought you might like, and I got Nattie something with chucks of brownie in it. I don't know about all these fancy flavors, Peg. I don't think it's gonna take off. What's wrong with just plain ol' chocolate and pistachio?"

Stepping into the living room and seeing her wife and daughter sitting on the sofa, Angie stopped dead in her tracks. The look on their faces, Natasha's blotchy red cheeks, wet from tears, and puffy eyes, squeezed at Angie's heart like a vice. The look in her wife's eyes, the concern and the anger, slammed into Angie like a sledgehammer. Rushing forward, she dropped the bag with the ice cream pints on the coffee table on her way to the sofa. "What's goin' on? Angel? Peggy?"

"I'm not sure of the details yet, love." Peggy said gently as she surrendered their daughter over to Angie's embrace. "But Nattie assures me she's unharmed physically."

"I'm fine, Mama." Natasha told her mother as Angie held her tight. "He's not. I think I might have broken his wrist."

"What happened, Nattie?" Peggy asks again.

Natasha sighs softly, and pulls out of her mama's embrace as she tells them the details. She can't look them in the eyes so she settles her gaze on her Mum's hands, which Peggy has resting in her lap, and watches as her mother's hands ball into tighter and tighter fists. She hesitates at the end, but her mothers encouraged her to go on, so she tells them about feeling him brush against her and how that led to her breaking his wrist. Natasha jumps when Angie springs to her feet.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Angie is angry, and rightfully so. "I'm going to call Frank, Tommy, Gio, and Luca and…"

"Angie." Peggy says firmly, her gaze fixed on her wife as she shakes her head. Now is not the time for them to lose control. Not with Natasha's attention on them, and when their attention should be on her.

"Don't Angie me, Peg!" Angie replies. "I'm gonna find the little bastard and I'm gonna…"

"Angela." This time Peggy's voice is a bit sharper as she cuts her gaze to Natasha who's trembling again and crying into her hands.

"I'm sorry." Natasha whispers. The idea that she made her Ma so upset her first reaction was to call up her brothers to deal with Natasha's bad judgement had her wanting to throw up.

Angie is instantly beside her daughter again and silently berating herself for letting her temper get the better of her. "No, angel, baby you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't on you baby girl." She took Natasha's face into her hands and looked into her daughter's eyes. "This is on that sorry ass son of a bitch and the people who raised him to be a sorry ass son of a bitch."

While Angie holds their daughter Peggy grabs the abandoned ice cream and takes it to the kitchen to put it away. She makes tea because she needs something to do to calm her own raging emotions. While Angie had allowed the shock and anger to show, Peggy had kept a tight hold on her own. Angie wasn't the only one who wanted to reach out to people who could make the young man regret his actions. It would be so easy for her to pick up the phone and make a call and have it, have him, taken care of.

"Don't worry about it baby." Angie said as Peggy came back into the room. "I doubt he's going to tell anyone, he'd have to admit that a girl got the better of him."

"You're Mama's right, poppet." Peggy said as she held out a mug of sweet peppermint tea for Natasha to take. "You acted in self defense."

When Natasha goes up to shower and change for bed Peggy does slip into her study, and she does make a call just in case the boy does try to twist things around in an attempt to get back at Natasha. She reassures Angie in hushed whispers that she has it handled, and there's no need to involve her brothers. They spend the rest of the evening on the couch, and Natasha sleeps with them, not that Peggy sleeps. She lays beside her daughter and watches her. She was supposed to protect Natasha and yet here they were.

"Don't do that, Peg." Angie whispers in the dark. "Don't blame yourself."

"I'm meant to keep her safe." Peggy whispers back as she gently brushes at Natasha's red curls.

"You do." Angie reassures. "Finding the strength to handle what happened tonight, she learned that from you, that's how you keep her safe."

"She doesn't only get her strength from me." Peggy reaches across their sleeping daughter to brush Angie's cheek, and then repeats the motion with Natasha.

Natasha withdraws a little afterward, and Peggy and Angie do their best to help her process everything. They have long talks and share their own experiences so that Natasha understands she isn't alone. It burns them both that they have to have conversations like this with their daughter, that they have to explain how the world really works when you're a woman. Sure things were improving, the times were better now than they had been when they were young women, but things were changing for the better fast enough. In time, Natasha shakes it off and becomes more and more herself again. It's a little rough in places as she tries to toughen herself up and acts out a bit, but it's nothing the family can't weather.


	19. Chapter 19

Turning Point

Natasha would be the first person to admit that she had no idea what she was doing when it came to Wanda. For a year she'd been skirting this fine line between being the girl's friend and trainer, and being her actual parent. Natasha didn't want to damage the trust between them by trying to be too much of a mother to the girl, knowing that Wanda had already had a mother, but it wasn't something she could avoid forever. It wasn't something she wanted to avoid forever because as far as Natasha's heart was concerned Wanda was her child, her daughter. It was alright if Wanda only saw her as a friend and guardian, as long as the girl knew Natasha loved her and that she could rely on Natasha to be there for her. Natasha's desire to be a good parent to the girl who'd lost so much often drove her to ask for the advice of those who she felt knew more on the subject than she did, her mothers were at the top of that list of course, followed by Laura, May, and even Clint.

It wasn't always easy, Wanda didn't always like the choices Natasha was making for her, but her Mum assured her that Wanda not liking certain decisions meant that Natasha was making the right call. Now that Wanda was more acclimated to her new American life, and had far more control over her powers, Natasha had decided it was time for the girl to be around other people her own age.

Apparently spending all of her time with the Avengers wasn't something Wanda should be doing. Someone, she wasn't sure who, had convinced Natasha that she needed to be social with her peers. She was an Easteren European refugee with superpowers and more trauma than any one person should have to deal with, she didn't have peers. And yet, here she was, getting dropped off along with Peter to take part in a field trip with Peter's class. Wanda was beyond annoyed, with Natasha and Laura and whoever else had a hand in this. She was perfectly fine hanging around the compound with Vision or training with Steve or going out into the field with Natasha. She didn't need or want to hang out with "kids her own age" as Natasha had repeatedly told her.

"It won't be all bad." Peter had said with his big dopey smile from the back seat of Natasha's car. "I bet you even like MJ."

Wanda had never understood the internet's need to compare people to dogs until she started hanging around with Peter. He was, as they would say on Tumblr, a happy and eager to please golden retriever puppy, and as hard as she tried not to, she liked him a lot. How could anyone not like Peter? He was just so earnest and sweet, and he cared about everyone with his big puppy heart. But as she was about to find out, not everyone liked Peter, and some people, well, one person in particular, went out of their way to treat him badly.

"Well, well," Flash Thompson says as he approaches the group where Peter is introducing Wanda to Ned and MJ. "No one said the guest student would be cute." He smiled at Wanda, pushing Ned out of the way, and completely ignoring Peter and MJ. "Are these losers bothering you?"

Wanda looked the boy up and down as she shifted her weight to one combat booted foot and crossed her arms over her chest. "Peter, who is this," She couldn't find the right word in english so she continued in russian.

"I have no idea what you just said." Peter blinked at her.

Flash moved in closer, smiling what he must have thought was a charming smile but what it really was, was creepy. "The lady must have been asking who the handsome, intelligent, well off young man was, Parker. The name is Flash, Flash Thomason, at your service."

"Actually," Wanda replied. "The closest english translation would be shit spewing moron."

MJ laughed. "Oh I like her!"

Wanda would end up liking MJ as well, Ned too. Flash Thompson she did not like. He was a jerk in general, but what Wanda really didn't like about him was the way he treated Peter. When she asked Peter why he put up with it, Peter just shrugged and said it wasn't a big deal. Wanda disagreed. Peter didn't like truly scary horror movies, and yet he allowed Flash's taunting to push him into seeing one when they were meant to be seeing something animated. She sat beside him the whole time and could practically feel his anxiety spiking, which caused her anger to rise. Her anger and annoyance only got worse later that night. May was out of town at a conference, Peter was staying with them at the compound, and Wanda was still a light sleeper. She heard him having a nightmare, and so did Natasha. When Wanda got up to check on Peter she found her new adoptive mother already there comforting him.

"It was just a bad dream, little spider." Natasha cooed as she held Peter, combing her fingers through his hair, and kissing his temple.

When Natasha asked him about the nightmare, Peter admitted that it was because of the movie they'd seen. But when Natasha asked him why they would see a movie he knew would upset him, he lied and said he had really wanted to see it, and that he didn't know it would be quite so scary. Wanda frowned, and glared at Peter. His stupid puppy eyes begged her to play along. It made her uncomfortable, not telling Natasha about Flash and the way he treated Peter, but she couldn't say no to that stupid puppy face of his.

Peter's school was having a pancake breakfast for charity that weekend, and with May out of town Natasha agreed to step in to help, dragging Wanda along so they could head to Brooklyn for Sunday dinner afterwards. While Natasha was working in the kitchen, helping to prepare the pancakes that the kids were serving up, Wanda once again saw Flash giving Peter a hard time. She heard him calling Peter, Penis Parker, just loud enough for the kids around them to hear but not any of the adults. She watched Peter's face flush with embarrassment, his eyes darting to MJ, who Wanda knew Peter had a crush on. Wanda had had enough.

It was embarrassingly easy for the Avenger in training to sneak up on the school jackass while he was alone in the hallway, and weave a little mind spell on him. It wasn't anything traumatizing, just a little manipulation that would cause him to act out in an embarrassing way, nothing too deep, just enough for Flash to learn what it was like to be laughed at by his peers. Wanda stood with a satisfied smirk on her lips as she watched Peter's bully spaz out, humiliating himself in front of everyone as he crashed through the lunch room doors.

Wanda's pleased with herself smile dropped the instant she felt a strong, familiar hand on her shoulder and the equally familiar scent of lavender and cardamom. Wanda's stomach dropped even before she heard Natasha's voice in her ear.

"If you did what I think you just did," Natasha hissed in her girl's eyes. "You are in so much trouble, young lady!"

"I can explain!" Wanda replies nervously. "And it will wear off soon, I didn't do too much."

"It had better be a damn good explanation, Wanda." Natasha is angry and it's evident in her voice. She doesn't take hold of Wanda's ear the way her Ma would have done, but she does keep her hand on the girl's shoulder, guiding her back into the lunchroom where she calls out to Peter who looked confused about Flash's behavior as well as why they were suddenly leaving early.

Once they're in the car and on their way to Brooklyn Peter asks, "What's going on? Why did we leave early? What was wrong with Flash?"

"Wanda hexed him." Natasha told the boy.

Peter blinked, his head jerking to the side to look at Wanda who sat beside him in the back seat this time instead of her normal place in the front beside Natasha. "You.. what.. why… Wanda! Why would you do that?"

"I don't like bullies." Wanda replied, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she turned to meet Peter's gaze. "And since you weren't going to make him stop picking on you, I decided to give him a taste of what it feels like to get laughed at."

"But," Peter's eyes were wide as his gaze shot towards Natasha before landing on Wanda again. He lowered his voice for all the good it would do him. "I told you it wasn't a big deal!"

"If it's not, why did you let him taunt you into seeing that movie that gave you nightmares?" Wanda demanded. "And why do your eyes always look sad when he says those awful things to you? It bothers you when he gets the others to laugh at you, Peter. I've seen it, and I was done with his shit."

"So you made him humiliate himself in front of everyone?" Peter demanded. "How does that help me?"

"For once it was him getting laughed at." Wanda huffed." Steve says that we should stand up to bullies, especially for those who can't or won't do it for themselves."

Natasha listened to the whole conversation and wonders if May knows about this Flash kid and Peter. She also thinks she might want to have a talk with Mister I-can-do-this-all-day Rogers about being a little more mindful of what he says around her kid. Her kid, with the magic powers who just whammied another kid. How was she supposed to deal with that? If this were a training mission and Wanda had done something stupid, she'd have at least some idea on how to handle it. But this was Wanda using her powers for stupid teenage shit, which meant Natasha needed to act like a parent and not a trainer.

When they got to the brownstone Natasha led the children inside. Looking at Peter she said, "We'll talk later." Before turning her gaze on Wanda. "You and I are gonna talk now." She crooked her finger at the girl, a silent command for Wanda to follow her as she headed down the hallway towards her Mum's study. As she passed the living room she gave a little wave to her surprised looking mothers. "Wanda and I are borrowing the study."

Peggy blinked. When Peter walked into the room looking uneasy and upset she asked, "Peter, darling, what's going on?"

"There's this kid at school." Peter began explaining, unable to resist the inquisitive and concerned gazes of Natasha's mothers. "He picks on people sometimes."

"On you?" Peggy asks gently, motioning for Peter to sit with her and Angie on the sofa.

Peter shrugged noncommittally. "Yeah, I guess, sometimes he does, but…"

"So this punk's a bully and he's been bullying you?" Angie asks as she reached out to brush hair from Peter's forehead. As far as she was concerned Wanda and Peter both were her grandkids, and didn't hold back from treating them as such. Natasha loved both of them, and they loved her in return, and Angie couldn't ask for more. Anyone who loved her Christmas angel, who did right by her, was good in Angie's books.

"No, it's not like that, I mean, he's kind of a jerk but I'm sure he has his reasons." Peter rushes through with a long sigh. "I tried to tell Wanda that, but she didn't listen and she hexed him, and now Nat's pissed, and Wanda's in trouble, and I never wanted anyone to get into trouble because of me, and I tried to tell her it didn't matter if Flash teased me sometimes, but it bothered her, and…"

"Peter darling, stop, breathe." Peggy said gently, reaching out to rub the boy's back. He was getting upset, flustered, and she wanted him to calm down before he had a panic attack or something. Natasha had explained that while Peter was picking up on the whole superhero thing brilliantly, teenager stuff still gave him bad anxiety sometimes.

"Hexed?" Angie asked, looking over the boy's head at her wife.

"It's the term they've adopted for Wanda's powers." Peggy explains after meeting her wife's questioning gaze. "Her ability to affect people, their minds, thoughts, and such."

Peter dropped his head into his hands. "She made him act all weird and everyone was laughing at him." He groaned before admitting softly. "It was nice that they weren't laughing at me for once."

Peggy and Angie shared a look over the boy's head as Peggy continued to rub his back.

In the study Natasha had pointed at the leather sofa and told Wanda to sit while she walked over to lean against the front edge of her mother's desk. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes, this was new to them both. Wanda hadn't really done anything seriously wrong yet, so this was a pivotal moment for the pair and their relationship. Taking a deep breath Natasha put some steel in her voice as she said, "Explain, now."

Wanda swallowed. Natasha was clearly mad at her, angry even, but this was different somehow. Wanda had seen Natasha pissed off before, no, that's not quite right. She'd seen the Black Widow pissed off before. She'd seen Natasha annoyed, frustrated even, but this wasn't like that, and Wanda wasn't sure why yet. Looking up, Wanda caught Natasha's gaze and could see past the anger, to the older woman's concern, disappointment which felt like a sucker punch, and, was that fear? "He's been picking on Peter for ages, and Peter does nothing to stop him." Wanda was angry too. Peter had been nothing but kind, understanding, and supportive of her since meeting her. It really upset her to see him treated so unfairly. "Peter doesn't deserve to be treated so badly, all he ever does is try to help and be friends with people. He lied about the movie, he didn't just decide to see it, Flash taunted him into it, and he refused to leave even though it really scared him. Today, that," She called him something vile in Sokovian, "called him nasty names in front of everyone, making them laugh, making Peter's friends uncomfortable, and embarrassing Peter yet again. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, Nat!"

Natasha listened, closely, to everything Wanda said and what she didn't say. She was fairly sure Wanda didn't realize it, but she was talking about Peter the same way she spoke of Pietro. The same way Natasha herself spoke of Tony and Sharon. Slowly Natasha's anger melted away, but her concerns and fears remained. "Wanda," She said when the girl was finished. "I understand you were trying to stand up for Peter, and I'm glad the two of you are getting so close. I want you two to be close, it's important to have someone in your corner like that."

"But?" Wanda snapped at her guardian.

"Watch your tone, little girl." Natasha warned, her voice low and threatening, before softening to continue. "But, what you did to the little bastard was wrong, Wanda. He wasn't a combatant in battle or a hostile in the field, he's a stupid punk ass kid who is probally taking out his own shit on other people. Using your powers to manipulate his mind like that was unethical, Wanda, and to make matters worse, doing so put you in danger!" Natasha felt a rush of fear and panic at the thought of what would happen if anyone found out Wanda was using her powers against civilians. "You could have exposed yourself, Wanda!"

"I was careful!" Wanda huffed as she glared at the redhead.

"And yet I saw you do it!" Natasha argues back.

"You don't count!" Wanda replied. "No one else would have known what I was doing!"

"You don't know that!" Natasha bit out as she shook her head. Closing her eyes, Natasha forced herself to take a deep breath and calm herself before opening her blue-green eyes to once again glare at her daughter. "We've worked really hard to keep your identity out of the public, Wanda, but your hand movements when you're hexing, are very distinctive. Some overly observant Avengers fan could have seen you and taken notice of what you were doing. You put yourself, and Peter, at risk Wanda!"

"You're overreacting, Natasha!" Wanda replied even though she was starting to feel the weight of her actions in her chest. She hadn't even thought about exposing them by using her powers. If someone were able to peg her as the Scarlet Witch, then it was possible, perhaps, that they could maybe tie her to Peter, and then Peter to Spider-Man? It was a stretch, far fetched, but still, maybe she could see Natasha's point.

"I'm not!" Natasha yelled back. This wasn't exactly how she thought things would go, there was a lot more yelling than she'd wanted there to be, but Natasha was afraid. She pointed towards the window as if to indicate the people out in the world beyond the safety of the Carters' faded red brick brownstone. "There are people out there who would take you away from me if they knew you were using your powers against civilians, Wanda!"

That stopped Wanda's next angry retort cold. She sat there staring at Natasha, blinking. That's where Natasha's fear was coming from, the idea that someone would take her away? Natasha feared losing her?

Natasha took a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face before making her way across the room to sit on the coffee table across from Wanda. Looking into the girl's eyes she said, "Being concerned about your safety and well being isn't overreacting, Wanda." She needed the girl to understand, so she needed to say what she'd been trying not to say in fear of spooking the girl. "This is what parents do, what mothers do, Wanda. We get pissed when our damn kids put themselves at risk by making bad judgement calls, and we do what we need to do to make sure they don't make the same mistakes twice."

Wanda frowned, uncomfortable by the implications of what the older woman was saying as well as by the emotions bubbling up in her own chest."What does that mean?"

"That means, little girl, that you're grounded until further notice. School lessons and training is all you'll be doing for awhile. No phone, no tv, no hanging out with Peter and his friends, no leaving our apartment unless it's with me. Extra chores to keep you busy. And, I want a list of ways you could have handled this matter without using your powers." Natasha tells her firmly, and then she looks into Wanda's eyes and adds, "And Wanda, if you ever do something like that again, I swear to god you'll end up over my knee. Have I made myself clear, young lady?"

Wanda's eyes went wide as she gasped softly. "You're not serious!" Bolting to her feet the girl looked down at the redhead with disbelief. "Natasha! You can't! I won't allow it! I'm almost sixteen! I am not a child!"

Natasha stood as well, and thanks to her heeled boots she towered over the girl a bit as she said, "You are a child, but more than that, you are my child, Wanda! And if you ever put yourself, your well being, or your safety in jeopardy like that again, or if you ever use your powers against someone like you did today, I am damn well gonna spank you for it. Just like my mothers would have done to me, and have done, minus the powers part." Taking a breath, Natasha softed her voice as she added, "I can't lose you, Wanda. You're my kid, damnit, and I love you, and I am going to protect you, from anything, or anyone, even if it's from yourself sometimes."

That's what the difference was. Natasha wasn't acting or reacting as the Black Widow or her handler, her trainer, or the person stuck with this freaky kid no one else wanted to deal with or were afraid of. Natasha was acting, reacting, like a mother, her mother. Wanda stood there staring at the redhead with wide eyes that she didn't realize were starting to fill with tears. It had been so very long since she'd felt someone love her this way, that she was trying very hard not to be frightened by it.

Seeing the fear in Wanda's eyes, and the welling tears, Natasha tried not to panic. "Wanda?"

"I'm sorry." The girl says softly as she drops her head, hiding her expression behind a curtain of auburn hair "I just wanted to help Peter. I didn't think about what using my powers could lead to. It.. It never really mattered before."

Natasha sighs softly as she reaches out to hold Wanda's face in her hands. Lifting her head up so they were once again looking at each other eye to eye. "Well, it matters now, baby, because you matter to me, and to your family."

Wanda surges forward and wraps her arms around Natasha, burying her face in Natasha's neck as the tears roll down her flushed cheeks. Natasha sighs, her own eyes burning a bit as she wraps her arms around the girl and holds her tightly.

Peter was having a hard time focusing on the conversation he was trying to have with Natasha's mothers. He was trying to tell them about some of the things he was doing as Mr. Stark's intern, but he was too worried about what was going on with Wanda and Natasha. He'd heard raised voices a time or two, and as far as he knew they didn't really do that, so it was making him uneasy. Mrs. Carter did her best to reassure him that everything was fine, but he was the reason Wanda was in trouble. She'd used her powers on Flash because Flash liked to pick on him, and he'd done nothing on his own to stop him. The guilt was knotting up his stomach. When Peter heard them coming down the hall he tensed up a little.

"Wanda, where are you going?" Natasha asked as she watched the auburn haired teen walk past the living and towards the door.

"You told me to go to my room and do that ridiculous list." Wanda replied. "My room is at the compound."

Natasha rolled her eyes as she pointed to the stairs. "Go to my room, smartass, and it's not ridiculous. I need to know that you know there are other options for handling a situation that don't involve your powers." She watched the teen roll her eyes, but there was a hint of a smirk on Wanda's face as she headed for the stairs. "When you're finished you can come down and help your grandmothers with dinner."

Peter relaxed quite a bit when he saw that things seemed to be alright between Natasha and Wanda, he even caught a hint of a smile on the other teen's face. But then Natasha turned her gaze to him after watching Wanda ascend the stairs, and the tension was back worse than before.

"Grab your jacket, bud." Natasha ordered the boy. "Let's take a walk. I'm sure my Ma has a list of things she needs from the market that she's forgotten to get until she needed it, and we got things to talk about."

While Peter gets his jacket and Angie gets the list ready for them, Peggy walks up to her daughter and puts her hand on Natasha's back. "Alright poppet?"

Natasha sighs and shakes her head. "I hope so, Mum."

Peggy does her best to reassure her daughter. Telling her that a huge part of parenting is knowing your child and relying on instinct. "You love those children as if they were your own, poppet. Trust that above all else and you'll do fine."

Natasha smiled at her mother and kissed her cheek before leaving with Peter at her side. They walk in silence for about a block and then Natasha says, "You want to explain this crap with Flash Thompson?"

"It's not really a big deal, Nat." Peter sighed.

"Peter," Natasha said firmly as she looked over at the boy. "It was a big enough deal that Wanda hexed him, so cut the crap bud, what's the deal?"

Peter sighs as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He kicks at a pebble on the sidewalk, and then looks up at the sky as if looking for the right thing to say. Finally he looks at Natasha and starts telling her about Flash, and how the teasing and taunting had started pretty much the first week of ninth grade. While Peter seemed to be a favorite target, he wasn't the only one. Flash came from a well off, influrencial, family and he tended to have a better than everyone attitude. Peter insisted that Flash wasn't a truly bad person, despite the evidence against him.

"You have the biggest heart, little spider." Natasha said softly. "You want to see the best in everyone, and that's great, we love that about you."

"But?" Peter says as he looks at her.

Natasha smiles warmly. "But, that doesn't mean you sit back and take people's shit. You need to stand up for yourself, and yes, you can do that without using your abilities. Mild mannered doesn't mean being a doormat."

"You make it sound easy." Peter sighed.

"It's not." Natasha replied. "I know it's not. I've been the one in your shoes, Petey. I know the strength it takes to stand up to someone like that."

Peter's eyes went wide as he stared at Natasha. Like most kids he had a hard time seeing the adults in his life as children or teenagers who could have maybe experienced the kinds of things he was. "You?"

Natasha laughed softly as she nodded. "There was superficial teasing, mainly about the color of my hair." She explained. "I actually started putting a quarter in a jar every time some little shit classmate of mine made a joke about me being a redhead. By summer, I was having ice cream truck treats damn near every day and didn't have to bother my moms for the money for it." She smiled warmly at the memory, but then her expression softened and turned more serious. "But there was also the deep cuts, the shit that really hurt. Having same sex parents wasn't as accepted as it is now, so I got a lot of crap from kids for that. I caught grief from a couple of really huge jerks about being adopted too."

"What did you do about it?" Peter asked as he slipped his hand into Natasha's as they walked.

Natasha smiled at the offering of comfort Peter was giving her when he took her hand. "Before I was old enough to really have the skills to deal with it, I broke a girl's nose, or I said mean shit back. The best way to deal with it though is to let the other person know their options and comments don't matter, once you take away the power they think they have over you, they lose interest in you. And if it's bad enough, if it's really getting in the way of your day to day, then you tell an adult. That's what we're here for Pete, we have experience that can help you, you just have to let us."

Peter sighs softly. "I'll try."

"You know kid," Natasha smiled at the boy. "I'm a grown ass adult superhero and I still need my mothers help from time to time. There's no shame in relying on the people who love you."

"I'll keep that in mind, Nat." Peter replies with a soft warm smile.

Natasha takes her hand from his so she can put her arm around his shoulder and pull him into her side. "And if all else fails the Black Widow can always pay Flash a visit."

"Please don't do that." Peter laughs. "He'd probably enjoy it, he has a massive crush on the Black Widow."

"Trust me bud," Natasha smirks. "He keeps picking on my kid he won't like a damn thing I do to his sorry ass."

When they get back to the house they head straight to the kitchen with Angie's requested items. Wanda was helping Angie while Peggy stayed out of the way at the table working on her Sunday Times crossword puzzle. It warmed Natasha's heart to hear Wanda and her Ma laughing together, to see the joyful smile on her Mum's face as she listens. Walking over to the counter Natasha puts the paper bag she'd been carrying down and smirks when Wanda looks up. "Finish that list, poppy?"

Wanda rolls her eyes as she pulls a folded sheet of yellow legal paper out of the back pocket of her jeans and hands it to Natasha. "Yes, there's your list."

Natasha takes it, looks it over, and smiles. "Good girl, we'll go over it in detail and talk about what you wrote later when we get home."

The teenager groans, rolls her eyes again and mutters, "Augh, fine, whatever, god Momma you're so lame."

Natasha freezes, Peggy looks up with wide eyes and a soft smile, Angie's about to burst from joy, and Peter's smiling.

Wanda blushes when she feels all eyes on her. "What?"

"Nothing, poppy." Natasha replies as she walks over to hug the girl. "You know you don't have to, right? Nat's always been fine."

"I know." Wanda replied.

"Ok." Natasha kisses Wanda's forehead, trying really hard not to cry. "So, what's for dinner?"


	20. Chapter 20

A Promise Made

Four days ago Rose, Peggy's longtime, loyal, assistant, showed up at the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn with shopping bags full of the items on the list Angie had sent Peggy off to work with that morning. Along with the diapers, juice, milk, and teething biscuits Rose came barring apologises from Peggy who'd been suddenly called away. Rose had said it was just business, but if it had been just an unexpected business trip Peggy would have called and told Angie herself. Angie would have known where Peggy was going and when she'd be back. Peggy would have told her herself that if she needed anything while she was away to call Rose, not have Rose tell her nervously as she apologized for not being able to tell Angie where Peggy had gone, and how long she'd be gone for. Rose showing up at their home like that had told Angie everything she needed to know. Peggy hadn't gone on a sudden business trip, she's gone on a mission.

Angie's accusations, which Rose tried so hard to deny so Angie wouldn't worry, were proven right when Peggy walked into their home with her left arm in a sling and an expression of guilt on her face. It was late, Johnny Carson had just finished his monolog, when Angie heard Peggy come in. A part of Angie that had been tense and worried for the last four days began to relax, especially after hearing Peggy's voice call out, "Angie, love, are you still up, my darling?"

Peggy's voice was soft because of the late hour, but Angie could still hear the concern and guilt that tinted the other woman's accented words. Good, Angie thought as she reached for the remote to turn off the television. Peggy should feel guilty. Angie sat there for a moment thinking about all the rehearsed things she wanted to say to Peggy while watching the picture on the screen fold in on itself until it was a white line across the center of the screen which then shrank into a white dot before disappearing all together. Then she pushed herself off the sofa and walked across the room, through the archway door and into the foyer just in time to see Peggy shrugging off an army green jacket twelve sizes too big for her. Angie didn't need to see the Dugan name patch to know it was Dum Dum's jacket. Angie wasn't sure if knowing Peggy had been with the 107th boys, her Howling Commandos, was better or worse. She knew that the Howlies would give their own lives before letting anything take their best gal's, their sister in arms, Dum Dum had made her that promise long ago. But she also knew that the Howlies who joined SHIELD took on the roughest and toughest missions, the kinds of missions that required the brute force that men like Dum Dum were best at.

"Yeah, Peggy, I'm still up." Angie finally replies to Peggy's initial question. When her wife, they'd exchanged vows in a tiny chapel in Vermont presided over by the same Episcopal minister who'd preformed Natasha's christening on a date Peggy had insisted on because, "It's the day I first walked into the automat, and that day changed my life for the better.", turned to face her Angie's heart drops to her stomach. She spots the sling and rushes forward, closing the distance between herself and Peggy. "What happened?"

"Oh this?" Peggy tries to wave off her wife's worry and concern. "It's nothing darling, just a bit of a dislocation and slight puncture wound."

Angie looked at Peggy with wide disbelieving eyes. "And that's nothing!?"

"I've had worse, love." Peggy replies as she reaches towards Angie.

Shaking her head Angie takes a step back out of Peggy's reach. "Don't."

"Angie?" Peggy watched her wife with a knot in her stomach. She knew when she made the choice to go with the Howling Commandos on this mission that Angie would be upset with her. The expensive Italian wine and Swiss chocolate in her duffle bag were meant to be forgive me presents for Angie, and the hand crafted wooden lamb was for Natasha. But the level of anger in Angie's blue-green eyes was rather frightening. "Love, I'm…"

"Shut up, Margaret." Angie said with another shake of head. Crossing her arms over her chest Angie glared at the brunette, ignoring her big brown doe eyes, wide with uncertainty. She wasn't just going to let Peggy off easy this time. "For years I've overlooked these little unexpected missions of yours, Margaret. They don't happen often, once a year, maybe twice, and I figured if lettin' you run off with the fellas once or twice a year helped you feed that need for adventure of yours, and as long as you always came back to me, what harm could do it? I'd let you scratch that itch, and I wouldn't have to worry so much about you gettin' bored of our dull day to day life."

"Oh Angie." Peggy said softly as she took a step towards her love. "I…"

"I said hush, woman!" Angie snapped at Peggy and then sighed. When Peggy paled and nodded Angie sighed and continued. "But I can't look past it any more, Margaret, because it ain't just you and me anymore." Taking the few steps keeping them apart, Angie reached out and grabbed hold of Peggy's right hand, and then pulled her up the stairs and down the hall to the nursery. Though Angie lowered her voice so she wouldn't wake the sleeping fourteen month old in her crib, the sharpness of her tone remained. "You made that little girl a promise, Margaret Elizabeth Carter. And while I get that to you, that promise means savin' and protectin' the world she lives in, that's not what that promise means to her." Angie points to the shock of red curls that can be seen in the crib from the warm light spilling into the room through the open door from the hallway.

"To that sweet baby girl the promise you made her means that her Mummy comes home every night and sits on the floor with her to play no matter how tired she is. To her that promise means Mummy is at the dinner table watching her get more spaghetti in her hair and on her face than in her mouth, and that Mummy is there to give her a bath, and read her Winne the Pooh in the rocking chair." Angie's voice remains soft but scolding as she continues. "The only monsters she's going to care about you slaying are the ones under her bed when she's older and her imagination kicks in. As far as Natasha is concerned, the only world that matters to her is you, because to your daughter, our daughter, you and I are her world, Margaret, and you running off to save the larger one outside these walls, is putting her world at risk."

Angie paused to let everything she'd said sink in. When she looked at Peggy, there were unshed tears welling in those big brown doe eyes, but as hard as it was Angie didn't back down. "I knew what I was gettin' into lovin' you, Peggy. I jumped into us head first with no regrets. I would never ask you to rethink this need of yours to run off fully cocked into the chaos and dark shadows of this crazy ass world just for me. But I made that baby girl a promise too, so I'm askin' for her, because damnit Peggy, she should have a Mummy who can fucking pick her up when she gets home from work."

Peggy's honestly shell shocked by the time Angie finishes. She isn't sure what to think, and can't get a handle on how she feels, so she just stands there just inside the nursery door even after Angie walks off leaving her alone. She vaguely registers the sound of a door opening and closing not too far from where she's stood. Angie must have gone to their room. This had been the first time an opportunity for her to go out into the field had come up since Natasha came into her life. Peggy always tried to make such decisions while keeping Angie, and now their daughter, in mind, but it had been such a long time since she'd been in the field. Her desire to be back out there had been an itch under her skin, one she could not, or chose not to, ignore. She didn't see the harm in going. While the mission level had been top tier, Peggy's cockiness and perhaps a bit of that wonder lust for adventure Angie had mentioned, had caused her to downgrade the true risk she'd been taking.

When the burning in her eyes became too much to bare Peggy closed them, forcing the tears that had gathered there to roll down her cheeks. Normally she would have reached up and wiped away the wetness from her face with annoyance, but this time she just let the evidence of her guilt remain until she heard soft whimpers coming from across the room. Natasha was a good solid sleeper, the only time she wasn't was when she was sick or upset. The tension in the room created by her mothers must have disturbed her rest. Wiping away her tears so she wouldn't further distress her child, Peggy walked over to the crib but when she realized she was unable to pick her baby up to comfort her because she'd gone on a mission and gotten hurt, the tears started anew.

"Shh poppet," Peggy says softly. Her voice is thick with emotion and tight from trying to keep the emotions light for Natasha's sake. She reaches into the crib to brush a gossamere caress over Natasha's chubby cheek. "Shh, my darling, Mummy's here." Natasha settles a little but not enough, and is soon fully awake and whimpering a bit more loudly as she blinks watery blue-green sleepy eyes up at her. Peggy's heart breaks, and her voice cracks as she calls out softly, "Angie," The baby monitor is on and she knows Angie can hear her. "Darling, I need your help please."

When Angie returns to their daughter's room it's evident that every Carter in the house has shed a tear or fifty in these wee hours of the morning. It hurts Angie to walk in and see her girls in tears but she isn't ready to let Peggy outta the dog house yet. Walking across the room she makes her way over to the crib to pick Natasha up. "I got her, Peggy."

"No." Peggy said softly but firmly. "Please." Her voice is slightly pleading. "I'll sit in the rocker I just need you to hand her to me."

"You sure?" Angie asks, eyeing Peggy's arm in it's sling. She can now see the corner of white gaze and medical tape peeking out from her the neckline of Peggy's shirt. More evideance that Peggy had been injuried on this stupid misson of hers. "If she bumps your arm, is it gonna hurt?"

"More than likely." Peggy says honestly as she sits in the rocker chair. "A small penance to pay for being gone."

Angie eyes her wife with a hard look for a moment, and then reaches into the crib with a soft, warm smile for their daughter's sake. "Hey angel, shh, it's ok baby girl." She holds her daughter in her arms, giving her a reassuring cuddle, and then walks her over to Peggy. "Look, Nattie, Mummy's home."

Natasha sniffles softly as she is placed on Peggy's lap. Peggy wraps her good arm around her daughter, adjusts her a bit because of the sling, and pulls the baby as close to her as she can get her. She looks down into her daughter's eyes, sees the way Natasha is looking at her, and Peggy realizes Angie's right. Natasha's whole world is right here in this room, it's her and it's Angie. "Hello my darling girl," Peggy says softly as she continues to look into her daughter's eyes. "Mummy owes you and Mama an apology, poppet. I was rather selfish, you see. Which is why Mummy's been gone for the last few days, and why Mama's awfully cross with me." She hears Angie snort and for the first time since walking into their home Peggy smiles. "Sometimes Mummy will have to go away for a few days for work, that can't always be helped, but this time Mummy went away more for herself than anything else. Uncle Dum Dum and the gents could have handled things just fine, but when he asked Mummy to come along, well, I made a selfish call my loves, and I'm sorry."

"I wouldn't be half as mad, Peggy, if it were a legit something only you could handle personally." Angie said softly from where she was standing, leaning slightly against the crib. "But you sent Rose, which told me you were to chicken shit to tell me you were runnin' off to play Howlie with the fellas. Like I said, if it were still just you and me, I'd let it slide, but it ain't so I couldn't."

"You have every right to be angry with me." Peggy said as she looked up from Natasha's blue-green eyes to Angie's.

"I love you, Peggy." Angie tells her wife. "All of you, ever bit and every piece that makes you, you. I ain't askin' ya to change. It's just that, well, you got a bigger purpose now, ya know?"

Peggy looked back down at Natasha who was drifting back towards sleep as she rocked them gently back and forth. "Yes, I know."

"Good." Angie replies with a firm nod.

"Angie." Peggy says softly as she once again looks up at her wife. After Angie hums softly at her in acknowledgement she says, "You know that you and Natasha are my everything, don't you?"

Angie smiles and walks over to kneel down in front of Peggy and their daughter. "Yeah, English, I know that. And you and her, you're everything I ever wanted and more."

Peggy smiles, relief washing over her at the forgiveness she now sees in Angie's eyes. "I love you, darling."

"I love you too, English." Angie beams. "But if you ever pull a stunt like this again I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Duly noted my love." Peggy replies, and then shifts her warm relieved smile into a pout. "Now that I have been sufficiently chastised, may I please have my welcome home kiss?"

Angie laughs which startles Natasha nearly awake again. "Shit." She whispers, and then holds her breath to see if the baby goes back to sleep. When Natasha settles, nuzzling her chubby little face into Peggy's chest, Angie relaxes and leans up to kiss Peggy hello.

Once Natasha is fully back to sleep, Angie carefully takes her from Peggy and puts her back in her crib. Then takes Peggy's hand and leads her to their room where she helps her wife get ready for bed. "So what did you manage to get punctured by, Peg?"

"Would you believe it was a sais." Peggy chuckles nervously.

"What the hell is a sais?" Angie asks while running her fingers gently over the bandages on Peggy's shoulder. After Peggy describes the weapon Angie looks at her and blinks. "Jesus, Peg, what the hell were you fighting, ninjas?"

"Sort of, actually, yes." Peggy replies honestly which just makes Angie shake her head.

"No wonder you couldn't pass up the chance to go." Angie replies.

Peggy reaches for Angie's hand and holds it tight. "Never again, Angie. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, English." Angie warns her.

"I'm not." Peggy replies. "Angie, I mean it. I truly am sorry."

"I don't want you resenting us for it, Peg, but Nattie and I need you here, whole, in one piece, and very much alive." Angie whispers.

Peggy pulls her close, wrapping her good arm around her love. "I could never resent being loved by you and our child, Angela. Nor could I ever regret loving you and her in return."

Angie relaxes into Peggy's embrace.

"You'll see my love." Peggy reassured the woman she loves. "I will be much better at keeping my promises from now on."


	21. Chapter 21

Junior Avengers in Training 

Thaddeus Ross had not been happy when his attempt to take control over the Avengers had failed. He had tried and failed to get them disbanded, outlawed, and branded vigilantes following his failed takeover, but he was no match for the team's supporters, defenders, and Peggy Carter. Years of running SHIELD and using the U.N. as a cover for what she really did had left Peggy with a great number of allies, as well as markers given to her by grateful heads of state and world leaders for her help. Peggy had called on her allies and cashed in her markers, and was now overseeing the Avengers with the U.N. 's blessing. With the Avengers out of his reach Ross created his own team of enhanced and highly trained and skilled people, but the Thunderbolts proved to be more trouble than helpful. Especially when the team went rogue and international.

They were tracking a member of the Thunderbolts known as Crossbones who was leading a team looking to get their hands on biological material held in a secret medical compound in a country they had no business in. Sam and Vision were perched above the route the mercenaries would have to take to the compound, while Steve watched the area from within. Meanwhile, Natasha and Wanda were being inconspicuous on the ground while watching over any possible exit routines. While Ross had been hell bent on transparency where the Avengers were concerned, wanting to out their civilian identities, he was keeping the identities of his Thunderbolts classified. Peggy had had a suspension as to why, which led to the second goal of this op. Identify Crossbones.

Once the attack on the compound happened, everyone jumped into action. Wanda was able to use her powers to move Steve around the battlefield, just as they had practiced, and it had sent a rush of pride through her, which lead to a smile that freaked out the men around her making it easier for the others to pick them off. Steve engaged Crossbones inside, but when forced into a position to follow his target or save the lives of innocent civilians he of course chose the latter. He radioed the team, warning them of Crossbone's escape, Sam was able to get eyes on him thanks to Redwing, his A.I. bird drone, and guide Natasha in his direction. She chased after him, Wanda seeing Natasha going off on her own followed, and Vision noticing what was happening followed Wanda.

Of course Crossbones would lead the Black Widow into a crowded market. She radioed the team, ordering them to start clearing out civilians, while she faced off against Crossbones herself. She watched as he pulled off his mask and even though she was surprised by the burn scared face behind it she didn't let it show. "I thought you were dead."

"I have too much unfinished business with you Carter bitches to die just yet." Brock Rumlow growls. "I ain't going anywhere until you're all dead."

They fight until Natasha gets the upper hand and just when it seems like she's about to subdue him, he produces a dead man's switch and a bomb vest. "Well, if I can't kill all of your fucking Carters I'll settle for one!"

A red glow appears around Rumlow's hand, keeping him from depressing the trigger of the killswitch, just before a red and green figure in a cape lands between himself and the Black Widow. Vision, using his ability to manipulate matter, removes the bomb, which Wanda incases in a bubble of red energy. Focusing on containing the bomb however takes her focus off keeping Rumlow immobilized. He presses the trigger, the bomb blows within the bubble, and they're all sent hurtling back by the backblast.

Steve arrives just in time to restrain Rumlow, slapping binders on him, and arresting him. Peggy had been right, the Thunderbolts were known criminals, and when this came to light, when the world found out that a member of Ross' Thunderbolts was a wanted HYDRA terrorist, Ross was done for. With their target in custody the team heads home. In the back of the quinjet Natasha and Wanda argue in Sokovian about the, 'stupid stunt' Wanda had pulled that ended up getting her hurt. It wasn't anything too bad, some lacerations, contusions, and a minor concussion, but now that the mission was over the Black Widow had given way to Nat, who was worried about her kid.

"You know Nat's going to give you hell for bringing Wanda on this mission." Sam said as he stepped up to stand beside Steve.

"Nat knows the importance of field testing while training." Steve said confidently. "Wanda's been training for a year now, it was time to see how she handled herself in the field."

"The Black Widow understands the importance of field testing." Sam replied with a shake of his head. "Mama Spider over there is going to chew your head off and spit it out because her kid's bleeding. You know how she is about her kids."

One bank robbery, two bodega robberies, an attempted carjacking, and a ferret stuck in a tree (that one was new) wasn't such a bad Friday afternoon and evening. Spider-Man had handled it all, with minimal property damage. The broken bank window and trashed bodega shelves couldn't have been helped. He had even gotten a box of girl scout cookies from the ferret girl out of it as a reward. This superheroing thing wasn't so hard, plus it was kind of fun. Crouched on the corner of a building Spider-Man munched on his thin mints while trying to decide if he should go for another swing around the city, or head home and get started on his history paper. He was just about to make up his mind when a shadow fell across him, making him look up.

Hovering several feet away, and slightly higher up in the sky than was necessary for anything other than dramatic effect, Iron Man's glowing eyes looked down with his armor clad arms over his chest. "You're not bad, kid, I'll give you that much."

Spider-Man sprung to his feet. "Iron Man, sir, Mr. Stark, sir, um, hi, hello, hi."

Tony shakes his head as he glides to the building's rooftop and lands so he's standing in front of the boy. "I don't know if you actually know what the hell you're doing or if it's all just been dumb luck up until this point. You're a clever kid, I'll give you that, but how you've managed not to get caught yet is beyond me."

"Kid?" Peter's voice cracks a little. "I'm not a kid, sir, Iron Man, sir, I'm Spider-Man."

"More like spider boy." Tony replies. "Why the spider theme, kid? Is it because of Nat? Is this some kind of stupid, dangerous, are you fucking crazy way of honoring Nat? Because if she knew you were out here fighting crime and swinging on a rather impressive webbing formula, she'd kick your ass."

Peter squeaked. "I don't, I have no idea, I… I…I..."

"Yeah kid, I know who you are." Tony says as he retracts his helmet so the kid can see his face. "Hi Pete."

"Aww, geesh, Mr. Stark, how did you figure it out?" Peter asks. He hadn't bothered to lower his mask back over his mouth and chin from having it raised to eat his cookies, so his pout was clearly on display.

"I'm a genius with an eye for talent and potential." Tony tells him honestly. "From the looks of your gym outfit, I'm guessing the wall crawling and enhanced strength are powers of some kind. The web shooters, and the webbing though, that's tech. Right?"

Peter nods and begins to explain the trip to OsCorp and the spider bite. He tells Tony about not feeling well for a few days afterwards, how he'd run a fever, and how Aunt May had started to worry, but then wham he woke up one morning feeling better than ever and he had these abilities. He told Tony all about those abilities, and even showed him what he could do. When Tony asked more about the spider Peter pulled out his phone to show him. "It was a really pretty spider, Mr. Stark, it looked like a black widow but it was blue and red and kind of shiny, so I took a picture of it and sent it to Nat."

"You didn't tell her about the powers though?" Tony asked as he sent himself the picture from Peter's phone.

"No." Peter dropped his head and sighed. "Aunt May loves Nat, but Nat being the Black Widow, it scares her. I don't want to risk them breaking up again. If I told Nat, then Nat would tell May, and then May would freak out, and I wouldn't be allowed to be Spider-Man any more, and worse than that, they might break up again."

"I see." Tony says as he steps out of his suit. "Kid," He walks over to the boy and puts his hand on Peter's shoulder as he looks the boy in the eye. "If anything ever happened to you, Nattie would be devastated, and she would probably blame herself because you decided to play hero because of her."

"And my Uncle Ben." Peter cuts in. "He was a police detective. He used to talk about responsibility all the time, ya know? About how if you have the ability to do something good for someone else, you have a responsibility to do it. He would say that he had a responsibility to uphold the power that came with his shield, and the trust that people put into it, and him."

"Your uncle was trained, Nattie is highly trained, you not so much." Tony told the boy as he squeezed the boy's shoulder. Stepping back from Peter he looked the boy over, taking in his homemade costume, and shaking his head. He couldn't just let Nat's kid swing around the city like this. Nodding as if he had finally made up his mind about something he says, "So, spider boy, I have an offer to make you."

The biological material Rumlow was after was Hulk blood. Apparently Ross really wanted to get his hands on Hulk blood. Upon hearing this Bruce takes a quinjet and disappears. Natasha and Clint are sent to track down any remaining samples that may be scattered around the world in the other hidden facilities not on SHIELD'S official books, but are clearly tied to SHIELD in some way. Natasha leaves Wanda with her mothers, knowing they will keep her safe while she's gone. Natasha and Clint gather seven vials of Hulk blood before finding themselves being chased down by Ross' Thunderbolts. Natasha sends word to her team, and they set up a plan to capture and detain them, a plan that comes into play in an airport in Berlin. That's when she sees the new guy for the first time, the kid in pajama pants and a hoodie from Queens who'd been splashed across the front pages of the newspapers on her Mum's side table.

"Who's the rookie?" Clint asks in the midst of the fight as Spider-Man swings overhead.

"He's with Iron Man." Rhodey says over comms.

Sam's voice cuts through next. "I think Tony was jealous of Widow's little witch, so he got himself a baby Avenger."

"I've seen him working with Stark at the compound." That's Wanda's voice. "He's always in costume though, no idea who he is."

Natasha frowned as she launched stings and bites from her gauntlets at a charging opponent, before taking her batons from their mount on her back. "Why is my kid here? This isn't a training mission! Who brought my kid to an all out Avengers fight?"

Sam, Tony, Rhodey and even Vision responded, "Cap." throwing the super soldier under the bus. Without Thor and Hulk the Avengers had been missing their heavy hitters. Steve had brought Wanda and Vision, Tony had brought Spider-Man, and Falcon had brought Ant-Man, who could also apparently get very, very, big. The Avengers come out on top but it isn't an easy win by a longshot. Turning big had apparently knocked Ant-Man out for the count. Rhodey's armor was damaged, and he'd been hurt though not seriously. And Spider-Man had been flung clean across the airfield, crashing into a stack of cargo containers.

Natasha saw the kid land and ran over to help. He was struggling to get to his feet, while fighting to get his mask up as if he couldn't breath. Natasha went over to him, settling her hand on his shoulder to keep him down. "Stop kid, lay down, you're done."

He didn't think, his heart was racing, surging adrenaline fueled blood through his body. He felt almost giddy with it. "I can keep going, Nat. I'm good. I'm ok. I just need a sec, ok? Then I can fight some more!"

Natasha's heart stopped, she gasped softly and then her lungs refused to do more, her blue-green eyes opened as wide as they could physically go. That voice! She knew that voice! Reaching out with trembling hands Natasha pulled the mask from the boy's head. "Peter!?"

"Shit." Peter replied as he scrambled to grab his mask back and put it back on.

Spider-Man is Peter? Peter is Spider-Man? And Tony knew? And he brought him into this fight!? Natasha lets her training take over, her thoughts and emotions overwhelming her. She gets Peter to the quinjet, orders him to stay put in a voice that is all Black Widow, and then goes back out to help secure the captured Thunderbolts. Spotting Wanda she orders the teen to the jet using the same voice and watches with satisfaction as she goes. It's a little easier to think now that she knows her kids are safe on the quinjet.

Once the mission is over and they're free to go home Natasha doesn't say a word to the rest of her team. She simply goes to the quinjet, walks past her kids who are sitting side by side lost in conversation, because Wanda's just discovered Peter is Spider-Man, and holy crap Nat and May's heads are going to explode! She heads to the cockpit, starts the jet up, raising the ramp, seals the doors and takes off, leaving the rest of the Avengers behind to find their own ways back.

Tony blinks as he watches the quinjet take off and disappear into the clouds above. "Did she just…"

"Take her kids and go home?" Steve says from beside him. "Yeap."

"Rude!" Tony huffs.

After setting the autopilot to take them back to upstate New York and the Avengers' compound, and cutting the comms so she wouldn't have to hear Tony's whine about being left behind, Natasha made her way back to the ops center where she'd left the kids sitting in the jump seats that lined the wall. Walking over to the small console island in the center of the space Natasha leaned back against it, hooking her hands over the edge to keep from crossing them over her chest. "Are you both alright?"

"I'm fine, Nat." Wanda reassured her guardian. "I took a few hits, but it's nothing a hot bath and some advil won't fix."

Natasha nodded, her eyes raking over the girl with a critical gaze. She'd look the girl over a little more closely once they were home, but for now she didn't see anything that needed her immediate attention. She relaxed a little, and gave Wanda a reassuring smile. Then she turned her gaze on Peter. Peter. Natasha couldn't wrap her mind around it. The web swinging Queens' vigilante was her Peter! "What about you, little spider?"

Peter was quiet for a moment as he did an internal check on himself. Then he looked up to meet Natasha's eyes, she was angry, confused, and disappointed and it gutted him like a fish. "I'll be fine by the time we reach New York. I, um, I have enhanced healing, so, um, yeah, I'll be ok."

"Peter," Natasha said firmly as she glared softly at the boy. "How the hell do you have enhanced healing now? Explain to me how the hell you're fucking Spider-Man."

The boy flinches a bit. Natasha's never been mad at him before. He doesn't like it. He takes a deep breath as he rings his mask in his hands and then he begins telling them how he ended up here. "Do you remember that field trip I had to OsCorp?" He barely breathes as he rushes through his story. The cool spider he sent Natasha a picture of, how he thought it felt like he'd been bitten but just chalked it up to being in a lab full of spiders and thinking it was all in his head. "Remember how sick I was afterwards? You brought me soup from Mrs. Angie and shortbread cookies from Mrs. Carter?"

Natasha listens and nods. "May was really starting to worry. We were about to take you to the ER when you just woke up feeling better, like you hadn't been feverish for days."

"I woke up with these abilities." Peter told her. "The web shooters and webbing, that's tech, but everything else is me. Enhanced strength and agility, healing, I can stick to stuff, surfaces, walls, ceilings, doorknobs. And my senses are different now too. And that's just the stuff I've worked out I can do, Mr. Stark is going to help me figure out if there's anything else, and more about what we already know about."

Tony. Natasha bit back a growl as she asked, "How long has he known?"

"Just a couple of weeks." Peter answered quickly. "He figured out who I was and confronted me while you were away on your mission. He gave me a choice, either train with the Avengers or stop being Spider-Man. He was going to tell you when you got back, I swear he was Nat! Please don't be mad at Mr. Stark!"

"Spider-Man has been swinging around Queens for months, Peter." Natasha shook her head, raising her hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Why didn't you tell us, Peter? Why didn't you come to me and May when you first discovered you suddenly had enhanced abilities?"

"I can't tell Aunt May, Nat." Peter's voice was nearly begging her to understand. "She wouldn't understand, she'd make me stop. And I couldn't tell you because I couldn't ask you to lie to Aunt May. I don't want you two to break up again."

Natasha sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Peter."

"I like helping people, Nat." Peter said as he stood up with a soft groan. He wrapped his arm around himself as he moved unsteadily towards the redhead. "I have these powers now, and I must have them for a reason right? I can help keep people safe, I can protect Queens the way Uncle Ben did, and I can help protect the world the way you do. Please Nat?"

"This is karma." Natasha groans as she pulls the boy into her arms and glances over at Wanda. "This is payback for me joining SHIELD when I was seventeen behind my mother's back. I can hear the old lady cackling already."

Wanda gave her mother figure a warm smile while Peter clung to Natasha, tightening his hold carefully when he felt her trembling. When she let him go he stepped back and asked, "What happens next?"

"We tell May." Natasha replied firmly.

"Nat!" Peter's eyes went wide as he shook his head.

"Peter." Natasha said firmly. "We're telling May. Everything else we'll figure out afterwards." There was no arguing with her. She sent him back to his seat, telling them both to strap in, and then Natasha went back to the cockpit. Turning the comms back on she called ahead to the compound while sending a text to May.

"Natasha?" Peggy's voice rang out over the channel. "Why did you leave your team behind?"

Natasha rolled her eyes. Of course Tony went whining to her mother. "I'll explain everything when we get back, Mum. For now, I need you to send Happy to pick up May. If you ask him then Tony can't interfere."

There was a long pause before Peggy replied and when she did her voice clearly told Natasha she was confused and concerned. "Alright, done."

"We'll see you soon." Natasha said before once again disconnecting the comms.

By the time they landed at the compound Peter was indeed moving as if he were merely sore and not injured at all. That was a good thing, it would be easier to talk to May with him uninjuried. Peggy was waiting for them as they disembarked from the quinjet. She'd been aware of Wanda's inclusion, Steve having consulted her beforehand. He'd reassured her that Wanda was ready, and that he would keep her safe, so she'd agreed to allow it. As Wanda walked down the ramp she smiled softly at Peggy, and Peggy smiled back. The girl was turning out to be a Carter through and through and Peggy took a great amount of pride in that. When Natasha appeared Peggy's smile faulted. The look on her daughter's face wasn't one of physical pain, but emotional upset. Peggy didn't understand until the third person disembraked, trailing behind Natasha like a chastised puppy.

"Peter?" Peggy's brown eyes were wide and her voice had gone up a notch as she stared at the boy in his new suit.

"Hi Mrs. Carter, ma'am." Peter replied with a bashful little wave.

"So," Natasha said curtly. "Peter's Spider-Man, Tony knew, and brought him along to fight the Thunderbolts."

"What?!" Peggy didn't even bother hiding her expression of shock, nor did she try to conceal it's shift into outrage. How could Tony take an untrained child, one of their children no less, into battle? How could he have kept the fact that Peter was Spider-Man from them? He's clearly known long enough to make the boy a suit, Peggy knows the work of a Stark when she sees it, and yet he'd said nothing, not even to her.

"Yeah." Natasha replies. "Is May here?"

"She's waiting in your apartment." Peggy replies, her gaze still on Peter.

"Will you take Wanda to get checked out by a medic?" Natasha asks her mother as she reaches out for Peggy's hand. She needs a bit of grounding comfort, and feeling her mother squeeze her hand gives her that.

Wanda rolls her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Of course, poppet." Peggy nods at Natasha, gives her girl's hand another squeeze, and then lets it go to hold out to Wanda. She smiled warmly, "Come along, darling. You can tell me all the details of the mission."

"Thank you." Natasha smiles weakly and then calls out, "Come on Peter."

"Please, Nat!" Peter tries one more time as he follows after her.

Natasha doesn't respond. She simply leads the boy to the back corner of the compound where Natasha had made her home with Wanda. This wasn't going to be an easy conversation for any of them. May had freaked out big time following the Battle of New York, her fears causing her to break up with Natasha. It still wasn't easy for her, Natasha knew, May struggled with loving someone who constantly made the choice to put herself on the line for the greater good. There was no way May was going to be remotely alright with Peter doing the same thing. Hell, she wasn't alright with Peter following in her footsteps, she wasn't even alright with Wanda doing it, but at least she had control of Wanda's involvement.

"Oh thank god you're alright." May says as she rushed to Natasha as soon as the redhead walked into the apartment.

Natasha sighs softly as she gladly accepts the hug May gives her. "I'm alright, babe. We're all alright."

"Your mother said as much when she came to pick me up." May said as she pulled back so she could look Natasha over for herself. "But getting your text scared me a little and…"

"I'm sorry." Natasha raised her hand to caress May's cheek. "I didn't mean to scare you." She takes a deep breath. "But there's something you need to know and it couldn't wait any longer."

Concern and fear washed over May's features as she looked into Natasha's eyes. "What is it, Nat?"

Natasha steps to May's side and looks towards her open apartment door. "Stop hiding in the hallway and come in here, young man. Time to face the music." Seconds tick past and no one appears. Natasha sighs, she moves to the door and looks into the hallway to see if Peter had run, and finds him sulking. "Now. That's an order. And take the mask off."

May stands there watching the open space of the door frame after Natasha steps into the hallway. She has no idea what's about to happen but it has her stomach twisting up. She knows whatever it is, she isn't going to like it. Moments after Natasha steps out into the hallway, a figure appears, May's eyes go wide. Spider-Man? Then he takes his mask off and May's heart stops. Peter? "What the fuck?"

"Hiya Aunt May." Peter says meekly. He watches a myriad of emotions work it's out on his aunt's face and then rushes on to say, "I can explain!"

It's a conversation that lasts for days and includes not just May and Peter, but Natasha, and Tony who repeatedly gets yelled at for not telling anyone as soon as he knew the truth, and Peggy. It's actually a long chat over several drinks with Peggy that finally settles May on what to do.

"My intentions were to raise a strong, independent, woman who knew and understood her own value." Peggy said gently as she handed May a glass of whiskey on the rocks before taking her seat in her favorite chair. "All I ever wanted was for Natasha to find happiness and a sense of purpose in what she chose to do with her life. I never wanted her to follow in my footsteps, I didn't want her putting herself at risk, but she is the woman her mother and I raised her to be." Peggy can't help the proud smile on her painted red lips. "Angie says we didn't know we were doing it but we raised her to be a superhero, and she's right. It would be unfair of us to expect her to be anything less than who we raised her to be." She offers May a warm smile as she reaches across the space between them to put a comforting hand on May's knee. "It would be unfair to you, your late husband, and Peter to expect him to be anything less than the young man you raised him to be. He wants to help, he wants to fulfill the sense of responsibility he speaks so proudly of that he got from his Uncle Ben. I know it scares you, May. To be honest, it still scares me too, and now it's not just because of Natasha, but Wanda, and now Peter as well. But giving into our fears and forcing them not to follow their paths, it would do more harm than good."

"So you think I should be ok with this?" May asks as she looks up from her dark amber drink to look into the even darker eyes of her girlfriend's mother, who just happens to be a world class spymaster and den mother to a team of superheroes that her nephew's joined behind her back. "That I should be alright with him risking his safety and well being?"

"No, dear." Peggy said with a shake of her head. "I'm not saying that at all. I am not ok with Natasha risking her life, not at all. I have learned, however, to live with her choice to do so. I can take a small measure of comfort in knowing that she is the very best at what she does." Peggy pauses for a moment and then continues. "So I do think you should agree to allow Peter to be trained properly, and to allow the Avengers, to allow Natasha, to monitor and control his heroic efforts the way she does with Wanda. I have a feeling he will find a way to continue as Spider-Man whether you agree or not, at least this way, we can help keep him safe."

May sighed softly. "Why does everyone I love have to have a damn hero complex."

Peggy laughs. "You can blame me for Natasha's."

It takes a few more days and a lot more soul searching before May agrees to allow Peter to continue on as Spider-Man. She does put limits on him, however. He has to train with the Avengers, he has to abide by Natasha's rules, and he can not lie to her anymore, or sneak around behind their backs anymore. If he does not follow the rules, then May will ask Stark to find a way to take away or suppress his powers. Peter agrees, he doesn't really have a choice, and starts his training. Natasha has Tony add what they call the Baby Spider protocol to his suit, which monitors and limits Peter's use of the suit. He's given strict guidelines for his patrols. And while it's all a little annoying for the teenager, he can hardly complain. He's a freaking Avenger!

"In training." Natasha tells him as he gathers excitedly with Wanda, Vision, and Sam to train with her.

Wanda smiles at him and says, "We're junior Avengers."

"In training, junior, young, who cares!" Peter's excitement is almost overwhelming. "We're still Avengers! How cool is that!"

From the observation deck Tony pouts a little as he watches. "How come Nat gets all the Avenger babies?"

"To be fair, they were hers first." Steve chuckles.

Tony grumbles. "I want one."

Steve puts his hand on his friend's shoulder and laughs. "That sounds like a conversation you should be having with Pepper."

"What, no, I didn't mean…" Tony looks at him wide eyed. "I meant my own little Avenger, not my own little Stark, gods Cap, I ain't ready for that. I can barely take care of myself."

"Hey!" Natasha calls up from the training floor. "Are you two going to come down here and train or stay up there clucking like hens?"

"We're coming, we're coming." Tony replies. "She's so damn bossy."

Steve laughs. "Yeah, well, most Carters are."

"Ain't that the truth!" Tony laughs in agreement.


	22. Chapter 22

Dealing with the Unfair

It had been a rare weekday where Peggy had been able to make it home from work not long after Natasha had gotten home from school. It was a small but treasured moment where she got to sit at the kitchen table with her daughter and help Natasha with her homework on a Thursday afternoon. She had a cup of tea in her favorite cup, Natasha had chocolate milk, and they were sharing a plate of chocolate chip cookies that Angie had made. It was all very domestic, and Peggy marveled at it. It even included Angie starting dinner in an apron. Peggy couldn't help the warm smile on her lips, nor the soft contented sigh before sipping her tea. Moments like these, peaceful, happy, moments with her family, is why she did what she did. This made everything she had to do outside the safety of her home, worth it.

Catching Angie's eye, her wife turning to look at her upon hearing the sigh, Peggy smiled lovingly at her. Then she turned her gaze to Natasha just in time to see a look of confusion on her sweet face. Natasha had just turned thirteen, and had recently returned to school to finish her seventh grade year. She was starting to lose the last of the roundness in her face, looking less and less like a little girl and more like the budding teenager she was becoming. They'd spent the New Year in California and all that time in the sun had lightened her hair a bit, which was all a single length and just brushing past her shoulders. As soon as she'd gotten home Natasha had changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of old jeans and a Spice Girls t-shirt. "Something wrong, poppet?"

Natasha had her history books open, her class notebook out, and a legal pad she was using to take notes for the report she had to write. "We're covering the war in class, and there's a section in this book Mr. Henderson gave us, because he didn't like the textbook Mrs. Kennedy was using," Her normal history teacher hadn't returned from winter break because she was on maternity leave, and Natasha didn't care for her sub, not one bit. "About Captain America." She pauses for a moment, watching her Mum closely to make sure this was ok to talk about. Peggy gave her a soft reassuring smile so she went on. "It has this list of reasons why Captain Rogers was chosen, his loyalty, persistence, intelligence, courage, and selflessness."

Peggy nods, a warm smile on her lips as she allows herself to indulge in her memories. "Dr. Erskine wanted someone with great moral strength. Steve, Captain Rogers, had that in spades."

Natasha crinkled her nose and twisted her lips up in a way that said something didn't make sense to her and she didn't like it. "But they already had someone with moral strength, plus the military training and skills to go with it."

"Did they?" Peggy asked, curious to see where her daughter was going with this.

"Yeah, they had you, Mummy." Natasha said firmly, her eyes and smile radiating pride. "Why didn't they choose you to be Captain America?"

Peggy chuckled, "Well, for starters I wasn't American."

And before Peggy could say more than that Angie said, "The real reason, angel, is because your Mummy had tits, a vagina, and a womb."

Peggy's brown eyes widened a bit at her wife's cheeky response. "Angela!"

"What?" Angie replies with such innocence her wife can't help but laugh.

Peggy just shakes her head as she continues to chuckle. Turning her attention back to Natasha she turns a bit more serious as she says, "I wouldn't have said it the way Mama did, but yes, that is the reason, love. It wouldn't have crossed anyone's mind to even consider me because I was a woman. The intention of the program was to create super soldiers, and women were not considered soilers."

"That's crap." Natasha replies angrily. "You lead the Commandos, you were a soldier."

"In action but not on paper." Peggy tells her. "In most history books that mention the 107th or the Howling Commandos, Steve is often cast as their commander."

"That's bullshit." Natasha huffs at the unfairness and injustice of it.

Angie laughs. Peggy scolds. "Natasha."

"It is." The girl argues. "It's a lie, and it's not fair."

Peggy sighs softly as she reaches across the table to tuck a strand of her daughter's hair behind her ear. She and Angie had made it a priority to raise their daughter to know her own value, and one of the hardest things about doing that was explaining that the outside world did not always agree with that value. "No, my love, it isn't fair. Things have improved since then, but they are still far from being fair."

Natasha spends a week working on her report. She uses the outdated textbook Mr. Henderson gave them to use, as well as her normal one, she uses class notes, and even calls her uncles to ask questions. She's very proud of the work she puts into the assignment and smiles at her teacher as she hands it in.

Angie is on the train back to D.C. after doing an early Monday morning interview with a local theater morning show, where she'd talked about the new play she was workshopping with a new playwright, when she gets the phone call from Natasha's history teacher asking for a parent-teacher conference that afternoon. He won't tell her what it's about, only that it was important they do it that day. She's frowning and concerned when she calls Peggy to ask if she can get away from work to join her, Peggy promises she will. Angie heads home to change, her mind racing with possibilities as to why their daughter's teacher needed to speak to them so badly. Natasha wasn't the type to get into trouble at school, though it was known to happen occasionally, but this wasn't a call from the principal, it was a teacher. Natasha took her studies seriously, even the subjects she didn't like, and though it wasn't one of her favorite subjects Natasha enjoyed history.

Thirty minutes after the end of the school day Angie made her way up to Natasha's history class on the third floor. The door was open, but she knocked on it anyway before stepping in. The first thing she noticed was that Natasha wasn't in the room. The second was the man, older than her by a good decade and half, who looked up from his work when she's knocked. Angie was good at reading people, and she could tell by the way he looked her up and down in her slacks, blouse, and leather jacket, that she didn't like him. "Mr. Henderson? I'm Angela Martinelli-Carter, Natasha's mother."

Henderson stands and motions for Angie to come inside. "Yes, Mrs. Carter, thank you for coming." His gaze darts towards the door as if he expects someone to follow, and then looks at Angie and asks, "Will your husband be joining us?"

"No, I don't have a husband," Angie replies to the all too familiar question. While she and Peggy had been married as far as they were concerned for nearly thirteen years, it wasn't legally recognized. They'd gotten a legal domestic partnership as soon as they moved to D.C., and filed in New York as soon as they could, which was about a year ago. It didn't matter to Angie what the legality of it was, she still always referred to Peggy as her wife. "But my…"

"You're a single parent." Henderson said, cutting Angie off as he waved her into a seat in front of his desk while retaking his own seat. "That would explain a lot about Natasha's attitude."

"I am not a single parent, and even if I were, that judgmental comment was out of line." Angie said firmly. "My wife is on her way, but we can get started without her. What do you mean by Natasha's attitude?"

Henderson looked confused before his face twisted in unconcealed judgement. "Are you Natasha's actual mother? I can only talk to her real parents regarding her."

Anger was bubbling in Angie's chest despite the fact that this wasn't the first time she and Peggy had been faced with this kind of thing. "My wife," She emphasized the word. "and I are both Natasha's legal mothers. The school has all of the proper paperwork on the matter. Now, Mr. Henderson, you gonna tell me why I'm here?"

Henderson eyed her for a long moment before reaching for something at the end of his desk, which he then handed to Angie. "The class was recently given an assignment to write about a topic from the war era."

Angie nods before looking down at the collection of stapled pages in her hand. "Natasha worked hard on her report." Glancing down she sees Natasha's name on the title page of her assignment, along with the underlined title, 'Sexium During the Second Great War.' The corner of her lip twitches into a small smile, and then she flips the title page over and sees the thick red F at the top of the first page. Angie's head snaps up, her blue-green eyes full of fire. "An F?"

"Natasha's report is full of made up facts and quotes." Henderson nods, his elbows on the desk, his fingers steepled together. "It's more a work of fiction than a proper analysis of history events and figures."

"The hell it is." Angie replies angrily. She isn't the type of parent who thinks their kid is perfect and doesn't make mistakes. If Natasha does something wrong, she holds her child accountable for her actions. If Natasha makes mistakes, she and Peggy teach her how to correct her mistakes, how to learn from them, and how to avoid making them again. She is the type of parent who will defend her child tooth and nail when someone else is in the wrong.

Henderson sighs an exasperated sigh as if this is the most taxing thing he's ever had to face. "Natasha makes the claim that Margaret Carter was a soldier, a leader, an actual member of the 107th Infantry Regiment. Margaret Carter was a field nurse and secretary…"

"The bloody hell I was." Peggy says from the doorway of the classroom.

Angie turns at the sound of her wife's voice and then turns to see Henderson's expression. She smirks at the confused look on his face as he looks at Peggy as if he knows her but seeing her can't possibly be real. She stands and reaches for the text book on his desk, dropping the old out of date one he used into the trash beside his desk before opening the book the kids were given at the start of the year. As she flipped through the pages Angie says, "Mr. Henderson, this is my wife, Margaret Carter, and before you ask, yes, she is also Natasha's legal mother."

Henderson jumps when Angie slams an open text book on his desk. He turns his head to look, finding the book open to a page displaying a picture of a younger version of the woman who had just walked into his classroom. Then he looks back up at the woman who had easily moved across the room, her commanding presence bearing down on him, and was now standing beside Angie.

"I do apologize for being late." Peggy says, her dark eyed gaze flickering back and forth between her wife and their daughter's teacher. "There was a bit of trouble on the Beltway." Settling her gaze on Angie she asks, "Have I missed much, darling?"

"We were just getting started." Angie tells her. "Mr. Henderson was just explaining to me why he gave Nattie an F on her report because it's, according to him, full of make believe and evil feminist lies made up by a child whose been clearly corrupted by having same-sex parents."

Peggy blinked. She took the packet of stapled papers from her wife and began looking through it before looking up at the man across the desk from them. "I would very much like an explanation, Mr. Henderson." She turned to look around the room, taking note of Natasha's absenance. "I would also very much like to know where my daughter is."

"Detention." Henderson replies after clearing his throat. "When I confronted Natasha about what she'd written she tried defending herself by saying the quotes were not made up, that she had gotten them from the men in question herself. When she continued to insist she knew members of the Howling Commandos, on top of insisting she didn't make up her facts, she was given ten days worth of detention."

"I see." Peggy says as she glances down at Natasha's paper again. Her eye is drawn to a red pen mark and she reads the line that's caused its existence on the page. 'The fact that Steven Rogers was chosen over more qualified candidates simply because he was a white, American, male, was bullshit.' She fights back a smirk, and makes a mental note to talk to Natasha about the use of the word bullshit in academic writing. Then she looks up and over at her wife, "Darling, I've left my purse in the car, may I see your wallet please?"

Angie raised an eyebrow as she reached for her purse and handed it over. She watched with amusement as Peggy removed her wallet, opened it, and shifted through the photographs she kept in it. Now she understood. Peggy didn't carry personal photographs for security purposes, but Angie damn near carried a full photo album in her wallet.

The picture Peggy removes from Angie's wallet was taken three years ago at the annual Howlie cookout. Peggy and the remaining Howling Commandos are in a nearly identical grouping as the photo in the open text book on the desk. The only differences are their fallen brothers in arms are missing, and Natasha is perched atop Dum Dum's shoulders. She places the picture beside the picture in the textbook, her heated gaze forcing the man across from her to look down at it. "I served side by side with those men during the war. Our daughter knows each and every one of them as an uncle." Again, with only her gaze she forced Henderson to look up at her. "You work in a school, Mr. Henderson, where the vast majority of the student body knows or knew the people in your outdated textbook, or from your morning paper, or from the sandstone buildings you drive past everyday. Perhaps you should not be so quick to call them out for lying simply because you do not like or agree with what they've written."

Henderson flexes his jaw. The shock of having someone he's seen in history books walk into his classroom had ebbed, and now he was faced with the reality of a real person. A real person whose presence was contracting everything he thought he knew. "The fact that Natasha does in fact know members of the 107th doesn't change the fact that she ignored historical fact and made up her own historical narrative."

"Facts such as me being a field nurse?" Peggy's voice is level but hard, cold, like steel encased in ice. "The textbook you required the children to use over the Board of Trustee approved textbook is severely out of date, Mr. Henderson. Current textbooks have the correct information regarding my service and role in the war. I was a Special Operations Executive agent with the military rank of commander. I served as the S.O.E. liaison and command officer, under Colonel Chester Phillips, for the joint project known as the Strategic Scientific Reserve. I was not Phillips' secretary, I was his second."

"That may or may not be fact, but what is an actual fact is that Captain America commanded the Howling Commandos." Henderson argued.

Peggy smirked. "He did, but who do you think Captain Rogers reported to, Mr. Henderson? Me." Her smirk melted away into a hard line as she said, "Now, if you please," She indicated the inter campus phone on the wall that would allow him to contact other rooms and offices on campus. "If you would be so kind as to have Natasha sent up from detention so she can be present to face her accuser, I would appreciate that, and I would also very much like Principal Lawrence to join us as well."

Natasha was so angry, and she didn't know what to do with it. She was fighting back tears, her head was throbbing, her heart was racing, her muscles were tense, and her stomach hurt. Adults talked down to kids all the time, she could have let that slide, but to be called a liar, and to not be heard when she tried to explain that she wasn't, that pissed her off. She wished more than anything that Hope was still here to talk to, to help her figure this out, to reassure her that it would be ok. She missed her best friend. She knew Mr. Henderson had called her Ma and asked to see her parents. A part of her was afraid she would be in trouble, ten days worth of detention? They were going to be so pissed, and she hadn't even done anything wrong! When the teacher on detention duty hung up the phone and told her to go to Mr. Henderson's class, Natasha's heart dropped into her stomach, which then twisted up into a painful knot.

When she walked into the classroom to find her mothers, her Mum looking mad, her Ma looking oddly amused, Natasha launched into a rant about what happened, and because she didn't want Mr. Henderson to know what she was saying, she did it in Italian so both of her mothers would understand.

Peggy walks over to her daughter full of concern at the sight of her. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were watery, her hand was pressed hard against her stomach. She reaches out and holds Natasha's face in her hands, and replies in Italian to Natasha's pleas of not having done anything wrong with gentle reassurance. Once Natasha is calmer, Peggy guilds her over to Angie who repeats and re-enforces what Peggy had already said. Natasha wasn't in any kind of trouble, and they would clear this up.

"Director Carter," Principal Lawrence greeted as he walked into the room. Publically Peggy was director of an international security and intelligence program through the U.N.. The best long term cover stories always had hints of the truth in them. "Mrs. Martinelli-Carter. Wonderful to see you both again. What can I do for you?"

Peggy explains, Mr. Henderson defends his position, and Principal Lawrence does his best to mediate. Since Natasha didn't lie, so her punishment was voided, and Principal Lawrence promised to have her report looked over and regraded by one of the other history teachers. He was more than a little surprised that Henderson had rejected the school approved curriculum for his own. Henderson was appalled at the idea of apologizing, his distaste for the Carters evident, and was told that perhaps he wasn't a proper fit for the school. Natasha was a bit astonished and relieved.

Even though everything worked out in Natasha's favor she just couldn't seem to shake the hard little pit of anger the whole incident had caused, it weighed heavily in her chest, and she didn't seem able to express it to her mothers. Thankfully Peggy and Angie were fairly good at reading their daughter's non-verbal cues, and knew something was bothering her. They were able to talk it through and figure out that Natasha must still be bothered by what happened in school, and then work out a way to help Natasha deal with her negative emotions.

Natasha awakens slowly, leisurely, snuggling into her pillows and comforter with a sleepy sigh. Then she suddenly bolts upright, her blue-green eyed gaze seeking out the time on her alarm clock. She squeaks with panic and leaps from her bed. She's going to be late for school! Why hadn't her alarm gone off? Why hadn't her mothers come up to wake her? When she burst into the kitchen, trying to simultaneously button her white blouse and tuck it into her plaid skirt, Natasha came to a sudden stop when she saw her mothers at the kitchen table. They were both still in their dressing gowns. Peggy was sitting in her chair with paper in hand, coffee and toast to her right, and a bowl of porridge with brown sugar and raises set in front of her. Angie stood behind her wife reading over Peggy's shoulder while playing with Peggy's chestnut hair with one hand and sipping from the mug of coffee she had held in the other. Natasha was very confused.

Peggy smirked at the look on Natasha's face as she greeted, "Good morning, poppet. Sleep well my darling?"

"It's Friday." Natasha replies, her eyes darting back and forth between her mothers' smiling faces. "I have school, you let me over sleep."

"It is Friday, yes, but you're not going to school today." Peggy says as she feels Angie withdraw from behind her, most likely to get Natasha's breakfast. "It's a half day, so you won't be missing anything. I've made plans for you and I today."

Natasha blinks. "Oh." She blinks again and then slowly starts to smile. "Ok."

Angie laughs as she walks over to their girl and wraps her in a good morning hug. She smiled when she felt their newly branded teenager cuddle into her embrace, and then kissed Natasha's temple. "Go sit, angel, I'll get your breakfast."

Natasha's porridge, not oatmeal they're different she can hear her Mum saying in her head, is topped with peanut butter and honey. It's placed on the table in front of her along with a glass of orange juice. She feels her Ma kiss the crown of her head before moving off to take her own seat at the table after getting her breakfast and refilling hers and Peggy's coffee. Natasha sits there for a long moment staring at them as if she's trying to figure out if they're really her moms or pod people.

Peggy chuckles at the look. "We have both had very long and difficult weeks, love. I thought we both could use a bit of a long weekend."

Her mother's reassuring smile helps Natasha to relax and soon she finds herself excited by the idea of spending the day with her Mum. After breakfast she's sent upstairs to change into something casual and returns in jeans and red and black flannel over a black tank top. After they drop Angie off at the train station so she can go to work, Peggy drives them to a part of D.C. that Natasha's pretty sure she's never been in before. It's historic and old, and in an odd way reminds Natasha of the neighborhoods back in New York with its two or three story store front buildings, and it's five to eight story apartment blocks. They pull up in front of one of the two story buildings and Peggy feeds the parking meter for ninety minutes after grabbing a large gym bag out of the trunk of the car and settling it on her shoulder.

Natasha is curious about what they're doing as she follows her Mum inside. They'd talked on the ride over, but not about what they were doing. Natasha didn't really care what they did, for her it was all about spending the day with her Mum, just the two of them. Finding herself in what looked like a boxing gym wasn't even on her list of possibilities though. What on earth were they doing in a boxing gym? An empty boxing gym from the look of it, a nice one for sure, but there wasn't anyone in the space. Not until her mother called out a soft hello, and then a man who looked a little older than her mother walked out of what Natasha was assuming was an office.

Peggy smiled as a tall, broad shouldered, dark skinned man made his way towards them. "Isaiah, what a wonderful surprise! I wasn't expecting you to come in personally. How are you, my friend?"

Isaiah Bradley was a war vet and only survivor of a secret program by the government to recreate Project Rebirth. "Feelin' pretty good these days." He replies to Peggy's greeting, a wide smile on his aging face as he embraces her. "It's good to see you again, Peggy."

"It's good to see you too, Isaiah." Peggy replies as she hugs him. The serum used on Isaiah wasn't even close to what was used on Steve, and while it had given him some enhanced abilities during the war, over time it had leached from his body leaving him in a state of physical deterioration. "I really appreciate you opening up early for me."

Isaiah continued to smile as he stepped back from the much smaller English woman. "Anything for you, Peggy, you know that."

Peggy returned his smile as she directed his attention to the girl lingering just off to her side and slightly behind her. "Isaiah, this is my Natasha." Then she directed her words at Natasha. "Nattie, this is Isaiah Bradley, he and I served in the war together."

Natasha smiled a bright and warm smile because she always loved meeting people who knew her mother before she did. Holding out her hand as she took a few steps closer to the man who towered over both her and her mother, Natasha said, "It's an honor to meet you Mr. Bradley. Thank you for your service, Sir."

Isaiah shook the girl's hand and returned her smile. "It's nice to finally meet you as well, Natasha."

She knew that since she hadn't met the man until now he wasn't a Howling Commando, but she did ask, "Were you a part of the 107th, Sir?"

"Not officially, no." Isaiah replied. His face took on a softer expression as he turned to look at Peggy. "And not until much later into the war, not until this teeny tiny English woman came busted into the POW camp I was in with her pack of misfit soldiers, like she was some kind of force of nature. After that, well, I tagged along for a bit."

The look of respect that passed between the two adults caused pride to swell in Natasha's chest. After a few more moments of chatting, Isaiah excused himself to get some work done, and Peggy led Natasha back to the locker room. Peggy pulled out some work out clothes and shoes and handed them to Natasha to change into before gathering up her own.

"Mum?" Natasha finally questioned when Peggy led her out to a punching bag. "What are we doing here?"

"Sometimes we bottle up our feelings because we don't know how to express them." Peggy begins to explain as she looks into her daughter's eyes as she wraps her daughter's hands to protect them when they get started. "Feelings like anger and frustration, that settles like a heavy stone on your chest. I'm going to show you a way to loosen those feelings up, a way to break apart that stone, and get all of that out because it's not good to bottle it all up."

Natasha blinked, surprised and yet grateful that her mother had been able to tell she was struggling when she hadn't been able to tell her so. "Ok."

Peggy smiles at her girl, and then moves to stand behind her as she gives her instructions. She asks Natasha to make a fist, and nods when it's done correctly. Then she adjusts the way Natasha holds her arms, and her stance, and they slip easily into Natasha's first lesson. It isn't until the end of their hour long session that Natasha finally taps into what's bothering her, and talks to her mother about it.

After that trips to the gym became a regular thing that mother and daughter did together on a regular basis. It's the reason why, years down the line from that first lesson, Steve Rogers is taken aback as he watches Agent Romanoff fight, because shit, the redhead throws a punch just like Peggy did.


	23. Chapter 23

Mothers' Day

Every Mother's Day morning a basket is left on the doorstep of the Martinelli-Carter home. It contains two themoses, one with tea perfectly made with the right amount of milk and slightly sweet, and the other with coffee made with half and half and a bit more sweet. There were also freshly made pastries and hand dipped chocolates, and new small potted flowers to be added to the garden. The basket started appearing when Natasha was small and had asked her Uncle Jarvis for help because she was too little to make coffee and tea or anything involving a kitchen. Natasha would set her alarm for when the basket was to be dropped off and quietly make her way downstairs to retrieve it from in front of the door. It wouldn't dawn on her until she was much older that the basket wasn't all that much of a surprise, because in order for Natasha to have opened the front door without setting off the security system it meant her mother had decataved it ahead of time.

Once the basket was in hand Natasha carried it up to her mothers' bedroom. The three of them, and Roise or Goose later on, would spend the morning snuggled up in bed. Natasha would give her mothers the letters she'd so carefully written them thanking them for all the things they'd done together that year. 'Dear Mummy, thank you for taking me to Paddinton's station when we were in London.' or 'Dear Mama, thank you for helping me rehearse for the school play.' and always, 'Thank you for choosing me to love. I love you too. Your daughter, Natasha Elizabeth Lucia Martinelli Carter. Age: #' whatever it was that year. Even as a little girl Natasha had insisted that greeting cards simply weren't good enough for what she had to say, so she wrote them proper letters, and her mothers cherished each and every one.

After their morning cuddles, once the tea, coffee, and pastries were long gone, it was time to get up and get ready for their day out. There would be brunch or lunch at a favorite restaurant, followed by a walk in the park and a late afternoon movie. Sometimes they would have dinner out in a restaurant, but most of the time they would get take-away and bring it home. Once back home they would settle in for a quiet evening of just spending time together. Mother's Day was one of a small handful of days each year that Natasha knew without doubt she would have both of her mothers not only home, but their full attention as well. She wouldn't understand until she was much older the kinds of hoops Peggy had to jump through to make that happen, not until she had to start jumping through her own hoops to try and keep it happening.

As an adult the basket didn't just magically appear, especially after her Uncle Jarvis passed on. Natasha would make it herself, and then drive over to her mothers' early in the morning and let herself in. She still climbed into her mothers' bed and still gave them each a letter. They still went out to brunch and took a walk in the park, but this year was different. After finishing their walk through Central Park Angie complains of feeling a bit tired and asks if they can do the movie at home, Peggy plays along and Natasha agrees. "Of course, Ma." Concern laces her voice as she offers her arm to Angie as they walk. "Are you alright? Are you getting sick?"

"It's nothing like that, angel." Angie reasures as she pats her daughter's arm after looping her other through it. "It was just a long week and I'm a little worn out."

Natasha hails them a cab back to Brooklyn. She takes her cues from her mum, Peggy doesn't seem worried, so Natasha doesn't let her concern get too out of hand. When they got back to the faded red brick brownstone Natasha noticed right away the warm scent of baking in the air.

"Poppet," Peggy says warmly as she helps her wife out of her spring coat. "Be a lamb and make us some tea, love."

"Sure Mum." Natasha replies as she tosses her leather jacket over the banister on her way down the hall towards the kitchen, and smirks when she hears her Mum tutt and mutter about it. Honestly she really should have been suspicious, but sometimes she could be so soft when it came to her mothers. Stepping into the kitchen of her early childhood home Natasha stops short, her eyes going a little wide, and her breath catching a little.

"Happy Mother's Day, Momma." Wanda says shyly from where she stands near the island.

Natasha blinks. She isn't sure if she wants to laugh at the sight of Wanda in one of Angie's aprons, flour in her hair, a smudge of jam on her chin, or cry because the teen had apparently made her a victoria cake, one of her favorites, for their first Mother's Day together since acknowledging that's the kind of relationship they had. Once the initial shock wears off Natasha makes her way across the room, pulling Wanda into her arms for a tight hug. "Thank you, poppy." The hug lingers for several moments before they pull away and Natasha asks, "Did you make this on your own?"

The teen nods a bit shyly. "Nonna taught me how. She said it was easy for a first time on my own, and that it's one of yours and Gran's favorites for special occasions."

"It is one of our favorites." Natasha replies, smiling brightly, blue-green eyes clearly misty. "Shall we slice into it now or wait until after dinner?"

"After dinner." Peggy decrees as she walks into the kitchen with a warm smile. "We still have a film to watch." She glances at the cake on the counter and her smile grows. The sponge looks well baked, the jam seems a nice thick layer, as does the cream, and the strawberries on top are a nice touch. "That looks scrumptious, darling." Wanda blushes. "Why don't you go get cleaned up, Wanda love. Poppet, you and I will make snacks."

It's a little strange when they've settled in to watch a movie. For the first time Natasha isn't seated between her mothers for their Mother's Day movie. Her mothers have made themselves cozy on the loveseat together, giving her and Wanda the sofa to snuggle on. It wasn't a bad kind of strange, Peggy was still within arms reach, but it was just more evidence that this year was different because Natasha's life was different now. She was no longer just someone's child. She was now someone's parent. It was a little scary and pretty damn wonderful too.

Her Ma makes a movie suggestion and Natasha can already feel Wanda pouting. She chuckles and shakes her head. "Wanda won't watch Pixar movies."

"Why not?" Angie asks, curious brow raised.

"The last one we watched made her cry." Natasha informs them, her voice laced with amusement.

"Momma." Wanda hisses, embarrassed that Natasha would admit that to these two incredibly strong women, especially Peggy.

But Peggy only smiles and says, "Pixar movies are very emotionally manipulative."

"She cries at UP and Brave all the time." Angie says, ratting out her wife.

"As if you don't sniffle through Coco, and all three Toy Story movies." Peggy huffs back playfully.

Angie grumbles. "Andy giving up Woody is bullshit. The other toys, yeah ok, sure, but Woody? Never. That would be like Nattie giving up Dum Dum Bear."

They settle on Mamma Mia because, "Why do so many Mother's Day movies involve dead or drying mothers?" Natasha had groaned. May and Peter had joined them for dinner and dessert, and once again Natasha was struck by the shift in her life. She had always had a big extended family, a smaller immediate family, but as far as what she considered her intimate family had always just been her and her mothers. Now that intimate little circle included Wanda, and more and more May and Peter as well.

Peter had come bearing flowers for Natasha, Peggy, and Angie. When Natasha hugged him to thank him, she held onto the boy just a little longer and a little tighter because she knew May had taken him to the cemetery after breakfast so he could lay a wreath at his mother's grave.

"It's ok Auntie Nat." Peter had whispered to her as she held him. "I miss her, but I know she'd like how many strong women I have in my life looking out for me."

Natasha hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead before letting him go.

At the end of the evening May and Peter headed back to Queens because Peter had school tomorrow. Natasha and Wanda would be heading back to their apartment on the compound because Wanda had school lessons with Laura and magic lessons with a woman named Agatha Harkness. Peggy had taken it upon herself to seek out help for her new granddaughter when it came to Wanda's powers. She wouldn't tell Natasha the details, but it involved going to see an old acquaintance only to find out she'd passed on, leaving a rather arrogant man with facial hair to rival Tony's in her stead. Thankfully Wong was still the warm soul he always was and sent her to Agatha who agreed to help Wanda with what she called her chaos magic.

"Can we make a stop on our way home?" Wanda asks in the car, a bit uncertain of asking.

Natasha glances over at the tone and replies. "Sure poppy, where do you need to go?"

Tony had pulled a lot of stings and thrown around a lot of American money to get Wanda's parents found and moved. They now rested beside their son in the cemetery beside the Episcopal cathedral that was the Carter family parish. Natasha kept her distance, giving Wanda space and time alone with her parents and twin, but she can still hear Wanda's Sokovian whispers reassuring them that she is well, and safe, and loved. Before they leave Natasha promises them that she will do everything in her power to make sure Wanda is always well, safe, and loved.

It isn't until they are home alone in their apartment that Natasha gets her very first ever Mother's Day present. Wanda had been too shy to give it to Natasha in front of everyone. Too much emotion still overwhelmed her, and she'd had a feeling the small gift would cause big emotions. Wanda had been right, as soon as Natahsa laid eyes on it, she no longer tried to hold back tears. It's a second little spider charm to add to the necklace Peter had given her for her birthday. The big spider had her birthstone, the little one Peter's, and this one Wanda's birthstone, an amethyst, on their abdomens. She had it added to the necklace first thing the next morning. The little mama spider now with her two tiny spiderlings dangling from her front legs.

It was perfect, the gift, the day, and her ever changing little family. Perfect.


	24. Chapter 24

Once was Lost, Now is Found

Natasha sat behind her desk in the office she and Steve shared at the Avenger's compound looking through a file full of Intel on the backup Sam had brought to the airport fight against the Thunderbolts in Berlin. As she shifted through his criminal record, prison record, education, and family life Natasha nibbled on chunks of cheese, pepperoni, salami, and the occasional olive or cracker. Between nibbles she sipped tea from a mug with her logo on one side and the Avengers logo on the other, Tony's idea clearly. Across the room sitting at his own desk Steve watched her as she read, and she was trying hard not to be annoyed by it. He wanted her option, but she wasn't willing to give it until she had a better understanding of the man, he wanted her option on. When she was finally finished, she looked up and sat back in her chair and made eye contact with Steve.

"So what do you think?" Steve asked her when she looked up. "I know he has a record, but…"

"He did an illegal thing for the right reasons." Natasha cut him off. "He's a civilian, he would need a lot of training, a lot of work."

"Nothing we can't handle." Steve replied with a warm hopeful smile.

"There's an issue." Natasha told him, and then felt a little bad because she'd dimmed his smile.

Steve frowned as he stood and walked over to Natasha to look over Natasha's shoulder. "Did I overlook something?"

"No. The issue isn't with Lang himself but who he might be working for." Natasha reassured and then explained. "Dr. Hank Pym. He was the original Ant-Man. He invented the technology Lang uses to manipulate his size. There's bad blood between him and SHIELD because of a feud with Howard Stark. If he's behind Lang being the new Ant-Man, there's no way he's going to let Lang or his tech anywhere near SHIELD."

"We're not approaching Lang as SHIELD." Steve reminds her. "We're approaching him as the Avengers."

Natasha doesn't think the difference will matter to Pym, but she leaves Wanda with her mothers and takes a small quinjet to San Francisco anyway. She checks into the hotel under the name Sasha Irons with her newest set of Canadian identification. After settling into her room Natasha spends the day trailing Scott Lang so she can decide when and where to approach him. She decides to wait until he's alone in his office, which was ridiculously easy to break into for a security firm. She lingers in the shadows as she watches him come in. He's singing to himself, some song she can't quite make out. She waits until he puts the paper fast food sack and large drink cup on a desk before speaking out.

"Hello Mr. Lang." The Black Widow says from the shadows. Lang screams and jumps back into a sloppy defensive stance, his eyes narrow as he tries to make her own. Natasha keeps the smirk off her lips as she takes a few steps forward.

"Black Widow." Scott Lang gasps. "Wow, um, hi, Black Widow, ma'am, err, Ms. Widow?"

Natasha stands there and watches the man babble his way through an awkward and nervous greeting. She speaks up, hoping to calm his nervous and excited energy so they can get down to why she was there. He kind of reminds her a little bit of Peter, and that helps her not feel quite so annoyed by him. When she was sure she finally had his attention she said, "I'm here to make you an offer Mr. Lang. We're looking to build an auxiliary roster, and we'd like to offer you a place on it."

"Me?" Scott squeaks. "I, wow, I'm honored, Ms. Widow, ma'am, but, um, I don't think, I mean, me an Avenger of any sort, I just, I don't think…"

"We know all there is to know about you, Mr. Lang." Natasha cuts him off with a firm but gentle tone. "You broke the law to rectify a much larger injustice. That's valiant. You did your time, and despite the hardships of being considered an ex-con, you built your own business so you can take care of your daughter. That's resilient. You broke into the Avengers compound, slipping past the Falcon, a military trained soldier. That took skill and resourcefulness. You came to Berlin without hesitation when Falcon asked and helped us fight and defeat the Thunderbolts. That was brave."

Scott snorted, "My girlfriend said it was stupid. She's mad at me."

Natasha allowed herself to smile at that. "I have found that bravery and stupidity often go hand in hand."

"You really want me to be an auxiliary Avenger?" Scott said softly, looking into bright blue-green eyes.

Natasha nods. "You'll need training, individually and with a team. We'll bring you to New York a couple times a month for that. And when you're ready, you'll be put on the active reserve list, meaning we'd call on you when we needed backup or a fill in."

Scott's excitement ramped up and he readily accepted but then he suddenly deflated and came crashing back down to reality. "I would love to accept, I really really want to accept, but Hank would never allow me to use the suit for it. He has a major hate on for all things SHIELD and Stark."

"The Avengers are no longer with SHIELD." She told him. "We are an independent entity under the sanction of the United Nations. We are accountable to ourselves and the U.N. through their appointed liaison."

"You still have a Stark." Scott makes a face that says he's struggling with wanting to jump on this opportunity and knowing his mentor wouldn't go for it. "Hank says to never trust a Stark, and after the whole Ultron thing..."

Natasha was professional enough to keep personal feelings from causing her to say something snide about having her cousin and late uncle talked about negatively. She knew and understood they were not perfect men, they were deeply flawed with their own sets of demons. Still, she didn't like it when people spoke ill of them. Narrowing her eyes Natasha asked, "What Ultron thing?"

"I don't know the details but as the whole evil robot thing was happening Hank kept muttering something about the son being just like his father." Scott replied with a shrug. Then he sighed. "If it were up to me I would say yes right here and now, but the suit, the tech, the particles, they're all Hank's."

A memory flashed to mind. The party just before Ultron appeared, Maria mentioning Hank Pym to her mother, something about stolen research? She would need to talk to Tony when she got back. But for right now Natasha focused on the task at hand. "I understand." She tells him as she flicks a plain white business card with the Avengers' logo in the upper left hand corner and her hourglass logo in the upper right, and a phone number printed in the center, onto the desk next to his fast food bag. "Think it over Mr. Lang. Talk to Dr. Pym, or if he isn't able to see past his own bias, perhaps talk to his daughter." Natasha was glad she'd remained in the shadows because she felt the way her face ticked at the stable of hurt mentioning Hope caused. "If you change your mind. Call me."

Scott looks over and reaches out for the business card and when he looks back up the Black Widow is gone. "That. Is. So. Cool!"

After a quick detour through China Town to get dim sum, a local brewery for a couple of bottles of the local craft beer, and some Hot Pants cookies Natasha heads back to the hotel. She doesn't expect to hear from Lang that night so she showers and puts on sweats and May's Midtown S&T parent t-shirt before opening the balcony doors to let in the night air and the sounds of the city. Then she settles on the bed and calls home. Wanda is relieved to hear from her because she's worried she's upset Angie. When Natasha asks what happens the girl explains, "We were watching this classic movie on the old movie channel, and I said something about liking the actress."

When Natasha asked what movie and Wanda told her she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh poppy, that's an Arlene French movie. She was Ma's biggest rival in the early days of her acting career. She always moans and bitches about her, don't worry about it, but if you want to make her smile just remind her that Arlene French doesn't have a Tony, and she does."

After talking to her daughter, Natasha calls May. Moving out onto the balcony she leans against the railing and sips her beer as she tells her girlfriend that they should bring the kids here, that they should spend a month or so in California this summer. It feels nice to plan out what would be a family vacation, and not for the first time Natasha thinks about other family type things, like living together, her and May, and Peter and Wanda, but she doesn't mention that just yet. "If we time it right we could take Peter to comic con and he'll love and adore us forever and a day."

When Natasha dreams that night it's of a house with a yard and trees, and flower boxes in the windows, set behind a waist high garden fence. She's almost a little sad when she wakes up the next morning and the dream ends, but she shakes it off quickly and goes out for a long run. She was surprised when her run was cut short by a call from Scott Lang. She'd thought if he contacted her it would be days from now when she was back in New York. He wanted to meet, so she set something up. She was surprised once again when he arrived at the meeting with someone, an older but still familiar face. "Hope."

While the Black Widow used the shadows to conceal her features the voice was all too familiar, even after all the years between them. "Natasha?"

The summer sky is clear and bright blue as the cool waves chase the girls up the shore, causing them to giggle gleefully whenever the water washes over their bare feet. When Peggy had mentioned that she and Angie were taking Natasha to the beach over the weekend Janet had sighed and said she couldn't remember the last time she'd gone to the beach, so Peggy invited her, Hank, and Hope to join them. Hank was in the middle of an experiment he couldn't get away from, but Janet and Hope gladly joined the Carters at the shore. The mothers were taking turns keeping their girls entertained. Janet had initiated the game of tag with the waves. When it was Angie's turn she and the girls settled in to build a sand castle, leaving Janet to join Peggy under the pop-up cabana.

As the girls built up their castle they told Angie a story about the two best friends who lived there. The castle was so big that the two best friends could live there with their families and their pet dragons, Arnie and Nigel. When Angie asked the girls if the best friends were princesses the girls told her no. One was a prima ballerina and the other was an inventor. After the castle was finished Peggy took the girls swimming and then brought them back to the cabana for lunch. After lunch Natasha and Hope fell asleep between their respective mothers, holding each other's small hands.

"You're the Black Widow?" Hope asks the woman standing several feet away from her. After she'd said Natasha's name the other woman stepped out of the shadows and she'd known it was her instantly. She shakes her head slightly, as if trying to make the thought settle into her mind. "How did I not recognize it was you all over the news?"

Natasha took a slow breath. "Tony developed something to help keep personal identities a secret."

Scott's eyes darted between the two women before he finally spoke up. "You two know each other?"

"We use too." Hope answers him, her voice laced with hurt and a little bitterness.

Hope had been so excited about spending some of their summer break in England with Natasha and her moms. She and her parents traveled but not often, and she always missed Natasha terribly when her best friend was away. The Carter's house in the English countryside looked like one of the houses from a PBS show. It was built of gray stones and had old wood paned windows painted green with flower boxes full of bright summer blooms. The wood floor creaked when you walked across it, and the doors had latches you had to lift to open them. Hope loved it. She really liked the old clay tennis courts where she and Natasha would play, pretending they were at Wimbledon, and the woods where they would explore and talk about anything and everything until Mrs. Carter called them in for tea.

They spent a whole day in London, shopping at Harrods, touring the sights, and having a picnic lunch in the park. They spend another day at Brighton Beach, and another driving around visiting real castles and manor houses owned by real English lords and ladies. When Hope's visit comes to an end she is sad, but has reached the point where she misses her parents. Natasha is sad because she doesn't want her best friend to go, but both girls are also equally excited because they're taking the brand new Eurostar, the train that linked England and France by way of the English Channel. When they arrive in Paris Janet and Hank are there to greet them, and the two families have dinner together. When it's time to part the girls hug a little longer than normal because they know they won't see each other again until late August. They promise, as they always do, to write.

Natasha was having a lot of feelings about seeing Hope again, a lot of old feelings, and new. The old feelings centered around the loss of Hope in her life so completely without an explanation as to why. The new feelings centered around Natasha not understanding why the other woman seemed angry and bitter towards her. Hope was the one who vanished, who moved away and never spoke to her again. The pain of that roared to life inside her chest causing Natasha to snap after another snide remark from Hope. "I wrote to you, just like we promised, I wrote to you every week for over a year, Hope! I called and left messages on your machine! I tried to reach out to you because you'd just lost your mom and I didn't want you to be alone or think you'd lost me too, but I got nothing back! You just moved away and that was that, you were done with me!"

Despite her best attempt to conceal it, Hope's expression gave away her surprise at hearing this, and seeing the emotion behind Natasha's words written so clearly across her face. Let her know Natasha was telling her the truth. It was only a momentary slip and soon what Scott called her snotty bitch mask was back in place. "I never got any letters, Natasha, I never heard or got any messages. I was alone."

"I tried to reach out to you Hope. You could have tried to reach out to me. I would have been there for you. You were my best friend." Natasha's voice cracked at the end despite trying not to sound demanding or too self defensive but it was hard with the way Hope was looking at her. The other woman looked so betrayed and hurt, and it was stabbing at Natasha like a knife because she never betrayed her.

They had each thought the other had walked away from their friendship and were hurt by it. A deep hurt that neither knew what to do with now that old wounds were freshly open. Natasha walks away from the meeting unsure of where Lang stands concerning the Avengers, and with a lot of guilt knowing that Hope had had to grieve a lot of loss alone, but she couldn't stand there any longer and have Hope blame her for pain she didn't cause, at least not intentionally. As she flies home to New York she can't help but think and wonder. Why hadn't Hope gotten her letters or messages?

It's a quite Sunday afternoon and Natasha is snuggled on the sofa with her Ma watching a movie. There's a knock on the front door, Roise barks and her Mum calls out that she's got the door as she's on her way out of the kitchen. Natasha doesn't think much of it and snuggles closer to her Ma. Then her Mum appears in the doorway and Hope is with her. Hope's eyes are red and puffy, her cheeks blotchy, and Natasha is instantly on her feet.

"Hope?" Natasha says her best friend's name in a soft and gentle way, as if speaking it louder might startle or hurt her. "What's wrong?"

"We're moving away." Hope replies. Simply admitting it sends her into another round of tears. "My Dad, he's moving us away."

Now Natasha's on the verge of tears. "What? Why? Where are you moving? When are you leaving?"

The girls have never truly lived very far apart, always within driving distance of one another, because Hope's parents worked for Natasha's Mum. Now Hope was telling Natasha that her father was moving them to the west coast, and Natasha's devastated. Her mothers do their best to reassure them that they'll still see each other, just not everyday at school, or whenever they want outside of school. They tell them they'll set up visits and holidays together, Hope can come to England with them again. In the meantime they'll write to one other and speak to one another on the phone.

When Dr. Pym comes for Hope he's upset, angry even, though Natasha isn't sure his anger is at Hope for taking a cab over to see her. It seems as if his anger is aimed at her Mum, which she doesn't understand. She understood that there was anger in grief so maybe that was it. Maybe Dr. Pym was mad at the world because Ms. Janet had died. When Dr. Pym says it's time for them to go, Hope holds onto Natasha a little tighter, and Natasha hugs her back a little longer.

"We'll write." Natasha says. "Just like in the shows we watch, we'll write every week, and tell each other silly boring things. I promise."

Hope nods and reluctantly pulls back when her dad calls for her again. "I'm going to miss you Nat."

"I'll miss you too." Natasha replies.

It was a quiet afternoon. Natasha had the day off and decided that Wanda would have the day off too. They were cuddled up on the sofa of their compound apartment binge watching house hunters while trolling real estate sites. Natasha had mentioned the idea of getting a house, maybe getting one with May and Peter, and Wanda had lit up like a Christmas tree. So now they were exploring the possibilities.

"Momma," Wanda says as she flicks through pictures of houses in the Queens area that are close to the beach. "If we get a house can we get a dog too?"

Natasha smiles as she makes a mental note about liking a certain kitchen feature in the house on their television screen. "I don't know poppy, you'll have to ask Goose if he's ok with that."

Wanda blinks and looks up just as the orange tabby cat in question lifts his head as well. The two stare at each other and Natasha laughs just as the door buzzer sounds. The redhead pauses the show and moans softly in annoyance as she stands. She told the boys she wanted to be left alone today. It was her first day off in too damn long and she had wanted a lazy day with her kid. Was that too much to ask?

But when Natasha opened the door it wasn't one of her boys. Blue-green eyes blinked in surprise at the person standing on the other side of her open door. "Hope?"

"Captain America let me in the compound." The dark haired woman said softly, nervously. "He asked how Scott was, I might owe Scott an apology for teasing him about him thinking Captain freaking America actually knew who he was." She sighed and then continued, while mentally chastising herself for apparently picking up Scott's babbling habit. "Then an Irish Siri told me how to get to your apartment after Captain America asked her to show me the way."

Natasha blinked again, unsure of what to say to Hope. It had been weeks since they'd seen each other in San Francisco, and Natasha was still uncertain of her feelings over the whole damn thing.

"Irish Siri? I am not an Irish…"

"Friday, be nice." Wanda called out to the Avenger's A.I. as she came up behind her adoptive mother. Natasha had gone stiff, and had yet to say anything other than what she assumed was the well dressed woman's name. "Nat?" She said gently. This woman was a stranger, friend or foe Wanda didn't know, so she wasn't about to call Natasha Momma in front of her. "Everything alright?"

Wanda's presence snaps Natasha out of it and she nods "Everything's fine, sweetheart." She reassures her little witch over her shoulder. "This is Hope van Dyne, she and I knew each other when we were kids. Hope, this is my daughter, Wanda." She introduced them and then added, "Baby can you give us a couple of minutes?"

Wanda's gaze flickers between Natasha and the woman making Natasha act weird. She is uncertain about leaving them alone but the look she's getting from her mother tells her she has no actual choice in the matter. "Sure, Momma." Natasha had introduced her as her daughter, an action that always gave Wanda a warm, safe feeling, so she relaxed into using the woman's gifted title. "I'll go find Viz, see if he needs any help understanding whatever human thing he's trying to figure out today."

Natasha smiles her thanks at the girl.

The two women stand awkwardly near the apartment door for several minutes after Wanda leaves, until Hope finally breaks the silence. "My Dad, he never gave me your letters or your messages. He kept them, I don't know why, he had to know it would upset me if I ever found out, but he kept them. When I finally got up the nerve to ask, he admitted it and gave them to me."

"What?" Natasha's shock is written all over her face. "Why would he do that?"

Hope sighs and shakes her head. "Because you're mother sided with Howard Stark over him."

Natasha wasn't sure how to respond to that so instead she asked, "Wanna drink?"

"God yes." Hope replies.

Natasha walks over to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of scotch and two glasses before leading Hope to the sofa. She turns off the television, closes her laptop, and then gives the other woman her full attention after pouring them each a drink. It's awkward and tense, both of them balancing on an emotional tightrope suspended over a floor full of incubating baby chick eggs. They're on their second round of drinks before Hope finally breaks the tenison.

Hope looks up from her drink and over at Natasha, she bites her lip nervously and then says, "So you have a daughter?"

Natasha smiles because she can't help but smile whenever someone refers to Wanda as her daughter. "I do." She nods, still smiling, her voice light and happy and full of pride and love. "I think Ma was pretty much sure she was never getting grandchildren. Then Wanda appears in my life needing someone to care for her, to love her, and now I have a kid."

"She's adopted?" Hope replies, a bit surprised. She chuckles. "Between the red hair and the protective glare I got at the door, I'd have pegged her for a natural born Carter."

Natasha laughs. "You do remember I'm not a natural born Carter either?"

"Yeah, but you were meant to be a Carter." Hope smiles.

Natasha returns the smile easily. "So was Wanda."

Talking came so much easier after that.

"We weren't in California a month before he sent me to boarding school." Hope tells her old friend in a soft voice. "He was there for Christmas, my birthday, Mom's birthday, but he wasn't actually there, you know? And with each passing year the Dad shaped chip on my shoulder grew, and grew, to the point where I helped take away his company from him."

"I'm sorry Hope." Natasha says as she pours them another drink and hands Hope her glass back. "I should have tried harder to keep in touch."

"You sent me a letter a week for over a year, Nat." Hope said as she reached out for Natasha's hand, a little afraid the other woman would withdraw from her, but Natasha didn't and Hope smiled.

"I would have kept going but I thought maybe you weren't replying because I was a part of your life when you still had your mom, and that maybe having me in your life hurt you." Natasha admitted.

Hope downs her drink and sighs as she sets the glass on the coffee table. "Things were just starting to get better between me and Dad, so I'm trying not to be to furious at him, but I'm really fucking pissed at him."

Natasha chuckles and nods in an understanding way. "I've been there. Some things came up awhile back that had me seeing red with Mum, the row we had was massive, but we worked it out. It's never easy when our heroes turn out to be human after all."

When Wanda returns to the apartment Natasha and her friend are still talking. She greets them politely and then retreats to her room for the night. Natasha comes in to say goodnight, and she can tell something heavy is lifting off her mother's shoulders. Natasha carried a lot, and anything that lightened her load was ok by Wanda. When Wanda got up the next morning the two adult women were still talking, laughing, and they both looked lighter than they had the night before.

Over the next few weeks Wanda sees pictures from Natasha's childhood she hadn't seen before, and hears stories she hadn't heard before as Natasha and her friend rebuild their childhood friendship.

It was a feeling Natasha couldn't really explain. It was like a piece of her heart had been returned to her, and an old painful ache she'd just grown accustomed too was now gone. They weren't the same girls they had been when Hope moved away, so they had to learn about each other all over again, but Natasha didn't mind that. Any hard work involved in rebuilding their friendship would be worth it. She had her friend back and that was the only thing that mattered.


	25. Chapter 25

The Howlie Cookout

Memorial Day and Remembrance Day were huge for the Carter family. Every year on those days in May and November the Carters gathered with their extended family to remember what brought them all together, to honor those no longer with them, and to remind those who remained that the Howling Commandos were a family. Remembrance Day was always a proper sitdown dinner in a place that held meaning to the Commandos, England, France, places across Europe where their fallen brothers had been buried, and was always paid for by Howard. These dinners were solemn, a chance to pay their respects, to indulge in and acknowledge the heavier memories and feelings. It was all very British, which made sense since Remembrance Day was a Commonwealth holiday.

Memorial Day however, was a backyard party meant to celebrate not only the service of the Commandos, but their survival and their bonds. The annual cookout rotated between the Commandos homes, but no matter where it was held it was always full of food, music, laughter, fun, and at some point someone making Peggy really nervous with her child.

Natasha was five months old at her first Howlie cookout, which was held at the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn. The back garden, which was fairly large for a brownstone backyard, was one of the many appealing features that factored into Peggy and Angie buying the place. Peggy had grown up with lots of natural space to roam and play, and had many happy memories of gardening with her parents. Her mother always kept a vegetable and herb garden, and her father's flower garden was award winning. Peggy had wanted a place where she could decompress from the stress of her work life, tend to a few rose bushes, walk barefoot in the grass, and sit with Angie in a swing as the crickets chirped in the evenings or the birds sang in the mornings.

When they hosted the cookout Peggy and Angie would open up the french doors at the back of their home, rent an extra large grill because theirs would be nowhere near big enough to feed everyone, and place tin wash tubs full of ice in the yard for drinks. The Jarvises always came over early to help, bringing extra seating, and lots of food. Ana would help Peggy put things away that they didn't want accidently smashed by the Mini Howlies, while Jarvis helped Angie get the cooking started. In the past they had this down to a nice routine, but baby Natasha proved to much of an adorable distraction.

"I thought Mr. Jarvis was helping you with those?" Peggy says to Angie as she walks into their kitchen to find her wife piping filling into deviled eggs.

Angie chuckles. "The baby cooed at him. Now he's outback showing her the spring flowers."

Peggy laughs. "Not even six months old and Nattie has everyone wrapped around her pinky finger."

Not even Dum Dum was immune to Natasha's charms. When he and Lorraine arrived with their gaggle of Dugan children, Dum Dum smiled his big dopey smile at Peggy, and hugged. "Hi Peg. Where's the baby?"

He didn't even wait for her to reply. He simply side stepped her and went in search of his fellow ginger. Peggy greeted a very pregnant Lorraine with a hug and showed her to where she'd be most comfortable. When she found Dum Dum he was in the backyard with his kids cluttered around him, and Natasha in his arms. He'd put a tiny red bowler hat on her daughter's head and Peggy couldn't help but smile. It was an adorable scene, the massive bear of a man playing with and teaching the children how to do his trademark whoo-hoo!

"My child's first word will not be whoo-hoo." Peggy tells the man teasingly as she gently adjusts the tiny hat on her daughter's tiny head.

"Maybe not her first, but I'll get her to say it, just you wait and see." Dum Dum teases back, a huge happy smile on his mustached face. Dum Dum had always been their tank, their sheer brute force, especially after losing Steve, and he'd loved every moment of it. But the big man was never more happy than when he was surrounded by children.

Dum Dum proves himself right. Natasha's whoo-hoo can be heard clear across the expanse of the Dugan's yard. It's Memorial Day again, and Natasha is seven. She's playing with the other Mini Howlies in the double treehouses at the far end of Dum Dum's property. There were two massive trees back there that Dum Dum had built two seperate treehouses in, and then connected the girls' side with the boys' side with a rope bridge. From her place sitting with the adults, Angie sat beside her, chatting with her friends, Peggy can see her daughter running back and forth on the rope bridge welding a plastic lightsaber.

"I do hope that bridge is sturdy, Tim." Peggy says as she watches the children play.

"It's perfectly safe, Peg." Dum Dum reassures. "I can walk across it, it's solid."

Natasha does a tumble she just learned in gymnastics while on the rope bridge and Peggy's heart jumps into her throat. Natasha's adventurous spirit was surely karma for her own childhood antics. When she was Natasha's age she would roam the woods near her home, climb trees, and explore all kinds of places she shouldn't have. Now she had a little girl who did the same thing and because she knew what kind of accidents could happen, Peggy worried. But unlike her own mother, whom Peggy adored, she would not try to change Natasha. If her little girl wanted to play all rough and tumble she would get down and dirty with her, and if her little girl wanted to dress up and have a tea party she'd get her best hat out of its box and join her.

When night falls everyone gathers around a large bonfire. Natasha has given up her adventures to sit between her mothers and roast marshmallows for s'mores and listen to the adults tell stories.

"We'd taken shelter in an abandoned home that Christmas." Peggy says softly as she watches the flames of the fire flicker upwards towards the starry night sky. "It was secluded enough that we could have candle light and heat, and use the stove and water in the kitchen. It was a good place to hunker down for a while." She nods approvingly just as she had all those years ago when they'd come across the old house. "So of course these loveable idiots," She indicates her brothers-in-arms. "Nearly burnt the place down trying to very sweetly make a proper Christmas pudding."

"Peg had worked her magic and gotten us some ham and potatoes for supper, and a couple of pies too." Dum Dum cuts in. "We wanted to do something special for her, so we searched the house for what was left behind and what we had on us, and Falsworth said we could make something close to a Christmas pudding, which isn't really pudding at all by the way."

Angie laughs, already assuming where this story was going. "Too much brandy when you lit it up?"

"They tried to boil it in brandy." Peggy laughs.

"In my defense," Monty huffs playfully. "I'd never actually seen one being made before, just the presentation of them, how was I supposed to know you dosed the thing in brandy instead of cooking it in brandy."

"Bucky and Cap came back from patrol just in time." Dum Dum chuckled. "Use to say that when they walked in it was like being slammed into a booze wall, the fumes were so bad."

On nights like these with her boys all around her, Peggy didn't mind sharing stories of Steve. These men knew Steve, respected him but did not worship him the way some did. Glancing over to the other side of her wife, Peggy watches Tony tense up a little at the mention of Captain America. She tries not to sigh and shake her head at the resentment building up in her godson because of his father's actions. As the stories continue an old tin canteen cup full of aged bourbon is passed around between the Commandos, just like they used to pass around whatever they could get their hands on while they sat around campfires or hunkered down in foxholes. The cup was making its way towards Peggy, who seemed to be focused on Tony, but not too focused to notice Natasha reaching for the cup and raising it to her lips.

"I don't think so little miss." Peggy scolds lightly as she takes the cup from her little girl. "That isn't for poppets."

Natasha pouts and takes her mother's declaration as a challenge. She was going to taste what was in that cup. Every year that followed she would try, but Peggy was always there to take the cup from her and give her an acknowledging smirk of the little game they were playing and a playful smack to her rear if accessible. Natasha would finally get her victory sip when she was fourteen when her mother finally allows it. She impresses her uncles by not coughing as the booze burns it's way down to her stomach, though her blue-green eyes do well a bit with tears. Peggy gives her a soft smile as she passes along the cup.

When they gathered at one of Howard's mansions the day was spent by the pool, and there were a lot of water balloons and super soakers involved. The first time Natasha really starts to see the kind of relationship her mother has with her Howlie brothers is when she's four and they're at Uncle Howard's for Memorial Day. Her mothers are lounging in poolside chaise lounges. Peggy has her sunhat on and her red rimmed sunglasses. Dum Dum is throwing the big kids into the deep end of the pool and Natasha wants to have a go too. Dum Dum doesn't see an issue and picks the tiny redhead up.

"Timothy." Peggy's voice calls out like a shot. "Do not even consider throwing my four year old into the pool."

"She can swim, can't she?" Dum Dum replies.

Natasha nods her head eagerly. "I can swim good, Uncle Dum Dum. Throw me in!"

"Do not throw her in." Peggy sits up and takes off her sunglasses to look at Dum Dum. "She's too little for such horseplay, Timothy."

"There's no horses, Mummy." Natasha informed her mother after looking around the pool and only finding people. "Throw me, Uncle Dum Dum!"

Dum Dum thinks he's found a compromise that will appease both Carters. Instead of throwing Natasha into the pool on her own, he holds her securely in his arms and throws himself in. Peggy rushes to the edge of the pool with her heart in her throat and her breath held until Natasha breaks the surface of the water with a whoo-yoo, quickly followed by Dum Dum and his own whoo-hoo! Natasha wanted to go again but Peggy shooed her back down to the shallow end.

"Don't be sore, Peg." Dum Dum said as he got out of the pool. "She just wanted to play like the big kids."

"She's not a big kid yet." Peggy huffed at him.

She had gotten back at Dum Dum for his compromise by waiting until he was asleep in the sun and then using sunblock to write 'ginger bastard' across his broad shoulders. She wouldn't let him burn badly, just enough to make the words stand out. That night when the cup was passed around the massive bonfire Howard had arranged they told stories about the pranks they used to pull on each other during the war.

"Dum Dum had used the last pair of Peg's nylons, can't even remember what for." Gabe Jones says. "And she warned him that if he used something of hers without asking, especially if it was the last of something, he'd regret it."

Monty laughed. "Daft git used the last bit of tea her Mum sent her and her last bar of chocolate to impress a girl."

"It didn't help that I was the girl." Lorraine laughed. "Peg was mad at me at the time."

"What did Peggy do?" Angie asked, eyes wide.

Dum Dum sniffled and said, "She shaved off my mustache while I slept. I had to go around naked for weeks."

They teased each other, annoyed each other, made each other laugh, and always had each other's backs. They celebrated the lives they were blessed to have after coming out on the other side of the hell they'd fought through. They mourned the loss of the ones who weren't as lucky, the ones they had to leave behind, but would never forget. And they rejoiced when one of their own was returned to them.

Dum Dum's laugh roared from the back of the faded red brick brownstone's backyard as he and the remaining Howlie's played a round of cornhole. The sound made Natasha smile as she walked up to stand beside the man lingering in the open doorway between the kitchen and patio. Reaching out an open brown bottle she asked, "You ok old man?"

"I'm fine." Steve replies as he accepts the beer with a nod of thanks.

"You don't look fine." Natasha calls him out on trying to lie to her. They'd gotten too close since he woke up for him to pull that shit with her. "You look broody."

Steve sighs. "They all have families, wives, and kids. It's just a lot to take in, ya know? Seeing everything I missed out on."

"You can have that now, Steve." Natasha tells him gently. "You have a second chance."

"I know." He replies, and then drops his head guilty. "But it's just that…" He sighs. "Most of the time I'm fine with this, with being here now, and I can accept this is just the way it is, ya know. But sometimes, I kind of wish I could go back and make different choices."

"Well," Natasha says, not unkindly but still with a bit of force behind it. "I for one am glad you can't go back and change things." Her sharp blue-green eyes are locked on where Peggy sits on a garden chair with Angie in her lap.

Steve follows her line of sight and realizes what he's said. "Nat, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

Natasha offers him a smile, Peggy's smile, despite the fact that he'd just admitted to sometimes wanting to erase her entire life as she knows it. Natasha knows that Steve would never do it, and knowing that allowed her to let him have his moment of wistfulness. "You'll adjust Steve. It's just going to take time. And when you feel like you're in over your head, just remember you got a Carter at your back, Mum and I aren't going to let you drown, Steve."

That brings a smile to his lips. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Nat."

"Hey soldier boy," Angie's voice rings out from where she's sat on Peggy's lap. There are dominos set up on the table, and a smirk on her lips. "Come play. A Brooklyn boy like you should be able to give me a better challenge than these mooks."

"Don't do it." Natasha whispers. "Ma's a shark at dominos."

Steve chuckles. "I think I can handle it. I used to be pretty good back in the day."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Rogers." Natasha calls after him.

At the end of the night when they're home or everyone else has gone home, Angie brings Peggy a slice of pie and a cup of coffee just like she did when they first met, and Natasha kisses her mother's cheek. They are both grateful for Peggy's service, because not only did she help win a war, but it's what led a young girl from Hampstead England to New York City and the two people who loved her most in the world.


	26. Chapter 26

The Widow and The Wasp

The Black Widow lurks in the shadows with no intentions of getting involved, though she probably should. The man her target is dealing with is not one to be trusted, and for the life of her Natasha can't figure out what Hope van Dyne is doing associating with the likes of Sonny Burch, but she was going to find out. She lets Hope complete another transaction with Burch and then follows her back to a waiting van with Hank Pym and Scott Lang inside. She then follows them back to a nondescript empty lot where Pym made a nondescript building grow from what had appeared to be a case on wheels. That was, Natasha had to admit, pretty damn impressive and kind of cool. She knew she should probably infiltrate the building and get a look at what Pym was up too, but she didn't want to spy on Hope. They were still trying to rebuild their damaged friendship and she wanted to give Hope a chance to explain things for herself. Plus, she really did not want to deal with Pym. On a professional level he would just see her as an agent of SHIELD, there to get in his way. On a personal level, he was responsible for taking years of friendship away from her and Hope, and Natasha wasn't sure she was ready to be civil to the man just yet.

So, Natasha backtracked to Hope's apartment to wait for her there. She honestly wasn't trying to scare or startle anyone this time, but she still managed to make Hope jump when she spotted her leaning against the wall next to the apartment door.

"Jesus Christ, Natasha!" Hope yelps as she presses her hand to her pounding heart.

"Sorry." Natasha apologizes sheepishly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Hope eyes the redhead carefully as she walks to her apartment door while pulling out her keys. "I take it this isn't a social call?"

"Can we talk?" Natasha replies. "Inside."

The brunette nodded, unlocked her door and invited her friend inside. After dropping her keys in the bowl by the door, and shedding her blazer and bag, Hope makes her way further into her home as she asks, "So what's this visit about, Nat?"

"Sonny Burch." Natasha says, getting right to the point. She watches Hope try not to react to the man's name, but Hope wasn't a trained spy, and couldn't hide the sudden tension in her body from Natasha who was.

"Who?" Hope tried despite knowing playing dumb wouldn't work on Natasha.

"The man you're buying black market components from." When Hope turns to look at her Natasha explains why she's there. "A while back a neo-Hydra group tried to infiltrate and ruin SHIELD with the long-term plan of taking its place in the world. An agent turned traitor, a man named Rumlow, was using Burch to sell stolen SHIELD tech."

"Nothing we've gotten from Burch is from SHIELD." Hope cuts in defensively.

"I know, Hope." Natasha reassures. "I'm not here about whatever it is your dad and you are up to. I'm here to warn you to stay clear of Burch. SHIELD has been biding its time before bringing him down to make sure they get his whole operation, including several dirty federal agents. The agent in command of the op knows that you're my friend and gave me a heads up so I could tell you to stay the hell away from him so you don't get caught up in things when it goes down."

There is a brief flicker of panic in Hope's eyes but her voice is calm. "Thanks for the heads up."

Hope doesn't heed Natasha's warning. What she and Hank are doing with the parts she gets from Burch is too important. Burch can feel the heat on him and mistakenly thinks Hope is a part of it. The Black Widow watches unseen, thanks to a suit upgrade from Shuri, as Hope fights in a suit of her own. She's impressed. Hope has been trained, not on her level or even the level of a field agent, but trained well enough to mostly hold her own. When Hope gets in over her head a bit the Black Widow steps in to lend a hand, deactivating the stealth feature on her uniform with a simple press of a button on her gauntlet. But before she does, she sends a message to the agent in charge that there was a change in plan regarding Burch's take down.

"I had this under control." Hope says, her voice modified by her helmet.

"Of course, you did." Natasha says as goons fall all around her. "But this place is about to get crazy, and the sooner I can get you out of here, the safer you'll be."

Sure enough, just as Burch and two of his men are tagged by Widow's Bites, the restaurant is overrun by SHIELD agents. A couple of them target Hope, and before her friend can shrink and disappear, making this all worse, Natasha grabs her wrist. "The Wasp is with me. Stand down. That's an order."

"Do as the Widow says." Comes the voice of their S.O. who is angry and annoyed.

Natasha smirks. "Agent 13."

Later after they're allowed to leave the scene, with the part Hope needed thanks to Natasha, the pair regrouped at Hope's apartment with a bottle of wine. "Being yelled at by Sharon felt too much like being yelled at by your mom."

"She did channel a hell of a good Peggy Carter." Natasha says with a laugh.

Hope refilled their glasses and then sat back with a heavy sigh. "Thank you for covering for me, Nat. I think I should tell you why you stuck your neck out for me." They finish the bottle and open a second while Hope tells Natasha about her mother being the original Wasp and what truly happened to her. She explained the quantum realm, and what happened to Scott. "There's a chance, Nat, a real good chance we can get her back."

"That's amazing, Hope." Natasha replies, blue-green eyes a bit wide as she processes everything Hope has told her. But then Natasha's expression of awe shifts into one of concern as something uncertain passes over Hope's eyes before she ducks her head. "What's wrong?"

"The tunnel isn't finished." Hope admits after a long pause where it's clear she's trying to decide what to say. "And SHIELD just put the only man who can get us the parts we need in prison."

"Burch isn't the only game in town, Hope." Natasha replies as she makes Hope look her in the eye. "You could have come to me. I would have helped."

Hope sighs and shakes her head in frustration. "Hank isn't going to accept help from SHIELD."

"Did I say SHIELD?" Natasha replies. "No, I said I could help. I'm a spy, Hope, I have connections outside of SHIELD. If you need anything else to build your quantum tunnel, you let me know."

Months pass before Hope reaches out to her about needing a part for Pym's quantum tunnel. Natasha reassures her friend that she'll get what she needs, and then starts shifting through her contacts to see who might have what that is. She finds what Hope asked for with a retired MI6 scientist she's used in the past while on undercover missions and makes arrangements for an exchange. Natasha wasn't expecting any trouble, but trouble must be lurking around her scientist because when she arrived at the meeting site, she discovered she wasn't the only one on scene. The Black Widow smirks as she stalks them, her smirk growing when the older of the two signals for the younger one to fall back. She hears the older of the pair tell the younger one, "Stay back, and whatever happens do not interfere."

The Black Widow makes the first move. There are no weapons used, simply hand to hand combat. Natasha gets in a solid surprise hit, catching her opponent off guard, but the other woman recovers quickly, and counters Natasha's strikes move for move. Natasha takes a punch to the ribs that's going to bruise, and a shin to the face that busts her bottom lip.

"Sloppy." The older, dark haired woman scolds when she lands the kick that busts Natasha's lip.

That only urges Natasha on and a few moves later her opponent is pinned. She smiles, and her opponent grunts at her. "Hey Mel."

Melinda May grunts again and flips the younger woman off her before leaping to her feet. "Nat." She greets before saying, "It's good to see that living in the ivory tower hasn't made you soft, though you were a bit sloppy. I shouldn't have been able to kick you in the face."

Natasha had landed in a crouch and shrugged as she stood upright in that slow cat like way of hers. Smirking, after probing her lip with the tip of tongue, she replies, "Maybe I just miss getting beat up by you, Mel." Melinda shakes her head and Natasha smiles more. "And I don't live in the tower anymore. I'm buying a house in Queens."

Melinda rolls her eyes and is about to ask what the hell Natasha is doing there when a voice calls out her name. "It's clear, Skye. There's no threat, just a brat."

When the younger agent joins them, Natasha looks her up and down and says, "Thanks for not getting in the way, kid. Tussling with a SHIELD agent will help my cover as a Russian, and I always enjoy getting a chance to get the drop on Mel."

Skye blinks wide eyed as she says, "You're the Black Widow." Then she turns her gaze to Melinda. "May, you know the Black Widow?"

Natasha smiles. "Agent May trained the Black Widow."

Melinda ignores the look of awe she's getting from her current student and scowls at her former student. "What the hell are you doing here, Carter?"

"Picking something up for a friend." Natasha answers honestly. "You?"

"Ghost hunting." Melinda answers.

Natasha's eyes light up. "Ooo! A spy hunter! Fun!"

Melinda groans again. "How have you not gotten yourself killed yet?"

"Sheer dumb luck and excellent training." Natasha replies with a smirk.

There is something oddly familiar with the way Skye looks at her. She is used to young agents looking at her with fascination and awe, respect and even fear, because she's the infamous Black Widow. But the way Skye looks at her, looks at Melinda because of her, it oddly enough, reminds her of the way Phil Coulson used to look at Steve. Something about the girl reminds Natasha a lot of Coulson for some reason. There was also something about the girl, something in her eyes, in her toughness, that reminded Natasha of Melinda. Natasha's curiosity had her wanting to pick at that a bit more, but she didn't get the chance. The ghost Melinda was hunting wasn't after SHIELD operatives, it was after the component Natasha was there for.

Ava Starr was like Wanda in that she had been a kid enhanced by Hydra, one of the first successful attempts at triggering powers in children. But Wanda, as it turns out, had something unique in her DNA that Hydra's manipulations unlocked. Starr's abilities were unnatural. Codenamed Ghost, her primary objective was to hunt down and take out whatever SHIELD spy, agent, or operative, her masters ordered her too. Hydra controlled her by controlling her abilities which caused her great pain when left unchecked. Without Hydra there to reset her so to speak, Starr was in constant agony.

"We need those parts." Hank Pym grumbles. "We can't move forward until we have those in place."

"I know, Dad." Hope sighs softly. Her father had been moaning about this for weeks.

Hank continues to grumble and groan. "We wouldn't be in this mess if SHIELD had minded their own business."

"Burch was selling stolen SHIELD tech, Dad." Hope explains yet again. "It was their business." She walks over to where her father is sitting and puts her hand on his shoulder. "We'll get the parts Dad. I trust my source."

The only warning they got before the Black Widow appeared was the ants working around them started acting strangely before she spoke. "I wish you'd have trusted me sooner, Hope."

"Natasha." Hope yelped, her hand to her chest and an annoyed look coming across her face. "Stop doing that!"

Normally Natasha would be amused by this but now wasn't the time for amusement.

"How did you get in here?" Hank demanded. He was now standing glaring at the young woman who used to be his daughter's best friend, the daughter of someone he used to be friends with before spending years being mad at her.

Scott snorted at Hank's question as if it were a silly one. "That's the Black Widow, Hank. She's like the world's best spy."

Natasha hands Hope the components she asked for, ignoring Hank's grumbling and Scott's fawning.

"You got them." Hope says with relief. "Thank you, Natasha."

"You used SHIELD to get the parts?" Hank scolds. "Hope!"

"I asked Natasha, who offered to help when I told her what we were doing." Hope shot back.

"You told SHIELD what we were doing!?" Hank replied.

Natasha huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not SHIELD, Dr. Pym. Yes, I am an agent of SHIELD, and an Avenger, but more important to the matter at hand, I am Hope's friend, despite your efforts to contrary."

That defused Hank a bit and he slumped back into his chair. "I'm sorry about that, Natasha. I shouldn't have kept you two apart, especially during a time when Hope needed you."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that because what Hank did wasn't ok so she wasn't going to say that it was. Sighing, Natasha finally replied, "I appropriate you saying that, Dr. Pym." Then she focused on Hope. "Burch told someone what you were doing, that you were working with quantum technology, and now you've got a target on your backs."

Hope tensed up. "What?"

"Remember the Neo-Hydra group I told you about?" Natasha replies and then begins warning them about Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost.

Hank looked both horrified and intrigued by the idea of using quantum energy to change a person, to give them extraordinary abilities, but then jumped right to the part where the woman must be suffering. He says that once they've gotten Janet back, he'll work on a way to help her. When Natasha says she'll be sticking around Hank bristles again. "Thank you for the warning, Natasha, but we can handle it."

The redhead groans and rolls her eyes. "I'm not doing this." She glares at Hank Pym. "I don't know how my mother survived working with you and Uncle Howard without suffocating on the ego and stubbornness." Natasha speaks in a firm, commanding voice that reminds people, reminds Hank Pym, of Peggy Carter. "Starr is a Hydra agent, a dangerous one, one who has no issue with killing whoever gets in her way. Your options, Dr. Pym, are you either work with me in her apprehension, or I call in the SHIELD team assigned to bring her in, and you can deal with them."

She can tell that the thought of working with SHIELD is not a pleasant one for Pym, so she has no doubt that he will begrudgingly work with her. But she feels the need, as she so often does, to defend SHIELD and its reputation. "And just so you are aware, Dr, Pym. Howard Stark didn't steal your research. Mitchell Carson did, and when it was discovered my mother fired him and had him arrested. He did manage to flee before he could be sentenced because he had help. When we took down Alexander Pierce and his Neo-Hydra, we discovered Carson was a Hydra agent, sent to steal tech and research for SHIELD. He was finally apprehended after the Yellow Jacket incident because my mother had him on a SHIELD arrest list. SHIELD didn't burn you, Dr. Pym, my mother didn't turn her back on you, you burned those bridges with your grief and your guilt all on your own."

The Black Widow stayed in the shadows after that, shifting her focus to the professional rather than the personal. She was there to provide back up and to bring in the Ghost. She was also evaluating the Wasp. After spending her professional life in an agency full of strong women like her mother, Melinda, Sharon, Maria, and Bobbie; Natasha was finding it a bit obnoxious to be surrounded by mostly men in the Avengers. She and Wanda would be thrilled to have another woman on the team, even if only on a reserve status.

Ava Starr's father had once been a SHIELD scientist whose work went against SHIELD's ethics. Hank busted him and turned him in to Director Carter and Howard Stark, who promptly fired him and had his research and work destroyed. He was then recruited by those trying to rebuild Hydra. No one was sure if he willingly handed over his daughter for experimentation or not, and since he was dead it didn't look as if they'd ever find out. Tom Foster's father Bill had been Hank's assistant and helped him develop the enlarging properties of Pym Particles. Tom resented Pym's success after Hank had pushed his father out of his projects. The two were working together to get their hands on Hank's lab and technology. Tom Foster's Goliath was meant to keep Ant-Man busy, with the assumption that the Wasp was no match for Ghost. As it turned out Ghost was no match for the Wasp and the Widow, though she did put up a hell of a fight.

Once they had Ava Starr nullified and Natasha had her restrained, the redhead stands and takes in their surroundings. She cringes, and when she hears Hope's helmet retract turns to look at her friend. "We trashed your dad's lab."

Hope looked around and laughed as she tried to catch her breath. "What's wrong, Nat? Afraid he'll call your mom and tell on you?"

Natasha huffed playfully, "That would require him to actually talk to her." Hope made a face that said Natasha made a fair point. The redhead laughed. "Clearly you don't remember the paper mache volcano incident."

It took a moment but then Hope's eyes went a little wide and she laughed. "There was red goo everywhere! I'd never seen your ma so mad before, she yelled at us in Italian for nearly an hour while flailing her arms around, we kept having to duck as we tried to clean it up." Then she gasped at another memory. "But that was nothing compared to the time we accidentally set your mom's garden on fire."

"I was way too competitive to be a girl scout." Natasha laughed. "But, as far as I know no one has beat our cookie sales record in our old troop, thanks to you."

"While I would love very much to hear all the little Hopie stories you're willing to share, I could use a little help." Scott's voice crackled over the comms.

"Shit." Hope said, closing her helmet. "Scott!"

"Go." Natasha replied. "I'll call my SHIELD contact for pick up."

Scott would be out for days once everything caught up to him from going as big as he had, but in the end, no one was hurt, the tunnel was safe, and the bad guys apprehended. A SHIELD transport arrived with two enhanced containment pods, along with Agent May and her new junior agent who still made Natasha tilt her head and look at her as if there was something about her she should be seeing. Natasha stands by her former S.O as Goliath and Ghost were loaded onto the transport.

"Wait." Hank Pym called out as he approached the SHIELD agents with Hope at his side. "What are you going to do with her? She needs help."

"She'll be prosecuted for her crimes, Dr. Pym, but she'll also get the help and treatment she needs." Natasha replies.

Hank grumbles. "And what will SHIELD's help cost her?"

"SHIELD isn't going to use her as a weapon if that's what you're implying." Natasha says, trying hard not to sound defensive, and failing. "SHIELD doesn't use or abuse enhanced people, Dr. Pym. I would never stand by and allow that to happen. My daughter is enhanced, and so is my girlfriend's son. All of your past bad experiences were with Hydra agents, Dr. Pym, not SHIELD. SHIELD is still full of good people who only want to save and protect, who still stand for everything my mother wanted it to stand for. Perhaps one day when your anger and grief are behind you, you'll remember what that was, and why you once considered her a friend."

The next morning Hope stumbles out of her bedroom to find Natasha sitting on her sofa. She yelps, and throws a vase at the redhead, which Natasha catches easily. "You have got to stop doing that!"

Natasha laughs. "I just wanted to stop by before I left for New York to give you this."

Hope blinks sleep blurred eyes at a small card looking thing in Natasha's outstretched hand. She accepts it and looks it over carefully to discover it's an access card. She blinks and looks up at her friend.

"Full access to the compound." Natasha tells her with a warm smile. "There's a place for you on the reserve team if you want it."

Again, Hope blinks, her mouth falling open. "You, you want me to be an Avenger?"

Natasha nods. "You have the skills and abilities. We'd be lucky to have you. Plus, Wanda and I could totally use another girl around." Natasha smiles. "So, next time Scott comes to the compound to train, come with him." Then she bites her lip. "And, you know, if you and Scott wanted to come to New York before then, I'd love for you to meet May and Peter, and maybe have Sunday dinner, my moms would love to see you again."

Hope closes the distance between them and hugs Natasha. "I'd like that very much, Nat."

A few weeks later Natasha is on her mothers' sofa with May trying not to fall asleep after Sunday dinner when her phones rings. She smiles when she sees its Hope. At first she mistakes Hope's rushed and breathless words for panic or fear, but then she releases its utter joy because Janet was back, alive and well. Natasha was thrilled for her friend, beyond thrilled, and so was Peggy when Natasha told her. With Janet back, maybe now things between the Carters and the van Dyne-Pyms could mend beyond Natasha and Hope.


End file.
